NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
NOJHL NETWORK MEDIA UPDATE
Release Date: Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016
Thunderbirds remain unbeaten at home on Busby’s big night
SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. – The Soo Thunderbirds got a pair of goals, including the game-winner, and three assists from Matthew Busby helping them improve to 20-0-0-0 on home ice this season as well as 37-4-1-0 overall as they skated to a 7-2 victory over the Blind River Beavers Wednesday evening in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League match-up at Essar Centre.
Busby’s 10th of the campaign put the Thunderbirds up 70 seconds after the opening face-off while teammate Drake Pilon extended the lead to two with his 11th overall at 17:20 of the first.
Sault Ste. Marie’s Busby made it 3-0 at 8:39 of the middle stanza and seemingly put his team in control.
Battling back, Blind River got on the board at 17:23 of the session courtesy of Jason Uhl to pull the visitors to within two.
The Beavers came right back with another one as Matthew Murray notched one against his former club with 51 seconds left in the period as he notched his sixth overall beating T-Birds starter Brendan Gordon.
Regaining control in the final frame, the Thunderbirds put the game away tacking on four unanswered markers to win going away.
Joey Miller made in 5-2 six minutes in before Matthew Caruso collected his 23rd of the season at 12:37.
Caleb Boman and Adam McPhail’s first NOJHL tally finished off the night’s scoring that included three third period assists for Busby.
Izaak Del Mastro chipped in with a pair of helpers for the winning side.
The Soo held a big edge in shots on goal pumping 44 pucks on Blind River netminder Martin Miloslavich, who suffered the loss as the Beavers fell to 6-36-3-0.
Gordon 14 stops in a winning cause for the Thunderbirds.