SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. – A Vincent Bondy first period goal held up as the game-winner as the Soo Thunderbirds went on to defeat the Timmins Rock 4-1 Sunday night in Game 6 of their Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League quarter-final at John Rhodes Community Centre.
With the outcome, the best-of-seven series is now tied 3-3 with Game 7 going Tuesday evening at McIntyre Arena in Timmins, as well as on FLOHockey.tv, at 7 p.m.
A solid start to the proceedings saw Sault Ste. Marie counter quickly off a neutral zone turnover that allowed James Legler to send Aiden Atkinson in on Timmins’ starter Frédéric Cousineau and whip in his fourth of the playoffs, with a sharp wrist shot from the slot, nearly three minutes into the contest.
The tally sees Atkinson run a playoff point streak to a current league-best six consecutive outings.
The Thunderbirds then tacked on another at 15:44 when defenceman Bondy weaved to traffic and lifted an attempt over the blocker of Cousineau to put the home side up by a pair.
Trimming the deficit before the first intermission, Maxx Hamelin put the Rock on the board with his NOJHL-best sixth goal of the postseason when he finished off a nice cross-ice feed from Kaeden McArthur.
Action in the middle stanza saw the visitors push the pace, but the efforts of Soo netminder, Nathan Maguire, kept it 2-1 T-Birds through 40 minutes.
In the third, the Thunderbirds picked up some insurance with 7:10 remaining in regulation as Owen Murphy scooped up a loose puck off a rebound and moved to his right before sending a rising attempt past a diving Cousineau.
They then iced it just before time expired as Drew Christian scored into an empty net from deep in his own end to wrap-up the result.
The Game 7 winner will go on to meet the Hearst Lumberjacks in the semifinals.
No. 4 Timmins Rock vs. No. 5 Soo Thunderbirds
Game 1: Thunderbirds 4, Rock 3 (OT)
Game 2: Rock 6, Thunderbirds 1
Game 3: Thunderbirds 3, Rock 2
Game 4: Rock 3, Thunderbirds 2 (2OT)
Game 5: Rock 7, Thunderbirds 1
Game 6: Thunderbirds 4, Rock 1
Game 7: Tuesday, March 31 @ Timmins 7 p.m. (McIntyre Arena)
Best-of-seven series tied 3-3
