By Matt Stefano
Saturday night hockey in Sault Ste. Marie takes place tonight at the John Rhodes Community Centre as your Soo Thunderbirds will take on the top team in the NOJHL, the Greater Sudbury Cubs, beginning at 7:00 p.m.
The Thunderbirds are entering tonight’s game sitting in 3rd place in the NOJHL’s West Division standings with a record of 14 wins, 8 losses, 2 overtime losses and 1 shootout loss, good for
31 points, while the Cubs are coming into tonight’s game as the top team in the NOJHL’s 12-team-loop with a record of 18 wins, 4 losses and 2 overtime losses, good for 38 points.
Tonight will also be the Cubs first visit to Sault Ste. Marie this season.
HEAD TO HEAD
In their first meeting of the season back on Saturday, October 1, the Thunderbirds fell to the Cubs by a score of 4-1 at the Gerry McCory Countryside Sports Complex in Greater Sudbury.
During that game, Thunderbirds rookie forward Jackson Truchan notched his first career NOJHL tally on a power play while Thunderbirds rookie goaltender Kolton Bourret made 32 saves in the loss.
MAURO MAKES HIS HOME DEBUT
When the Thunderbirds hit the ice tonight at the John Rhodes, tonight’s game will also mark the home debut of newly acquired forward and Soo boy Justin Mauro.
Mauro, who is a 2002-birth-year forward, came over to the Thunderbirds in a trade from the CCHL’s Navan Grads back on Thursday.
In his first game played with the Thunderbirds last night in Elliot Lake, Mauro scored one goal to help lead the Thunderbirds to a 2-0 win over the Elliot Lake Red Wings.
Mauro’s goal, came just 47 seconds into the second period, which gave his hometown club a 2-0 lead.
CUBS AT 12
After being ranked No. 10 in the entire country one week ago, the Greater Sudbury Cubs have dropped two spots this week in the CJHL Top 20 Rankings, and are entering tonight’s game sitting at No. 12 in the country this week.
Heading into tonight’s game, the No. 12 ranked team in the nation Cubs are also currently being led in scoring by second-year forward Billy Biedermann, who has 29 points in 24 games.
(Photo of Thunderbirds forward Daniel Beaupre credit to Bob Davies)
