T-Birds edge Eskimos

After two uneventful periods of play, the Soo Thunderbirds and Abitibi Eskimos finally turned up the intensity for the third period.

Tony Brune's goal with 4:04 remaining in regulation time broke a 1-1 tie and lifted the Thunderbirds to a 2-1 victory on Saturday night at the John Rhodes Community Centre.

The victory improves the Thunderbirds record to 2-1 with the team set to head out on their first road trip of the season next weekend.

After two scoreless periods, Mark Thorburn, who just hours earlier helped the St. Mary's Knights in their high school football win over Korah, opened the scoring for the Soo 1:39 into the third frame before Patrick Leclerc tied the score with a power play goal.

The Thunderbirds battled penalty trouble throughout the period and were forced to kill three consecutive minors before Brune's game winner.

"It was like watching paint dry for the first two periods," said Thunderbirds head coach Toots Kovacs. "That's how Abitibi plays. They play a smart disciplined game, move the puck well and do a lot of regroups. They don't get a lot of shots, they just wait for you to break down.

"I was happy with the way we played. It's difficult when you play a them like that. We like to go, go, go but we had to be patient. The shots they did get were from the outside and our defense did a great job of keeping the front of the net clear and clearing the zone with a good first pass."

Travis O'Brien picked up the victory in his first Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League start while Cedric Bradette was tagged with the loss. The Thunderbirds outshot Abitibi 24-20.

This coming weekend, the Thunderbirds travel to Little Current to play the Manitoulin Islanders on Friday before visiting Abitibi on Saturday and the Sudbury Northern Jr. Wolves on Sunday.

"We're looking forward to getting the guys on the bus and spending some time with them in the hotels and restaurants and having some fun with them. It will give us some good bonding time," said Kovacs.

With Thorburn juggling the two roles of hockey and football, the plans have him suiting up for St. Mary's on Friday against White Pines before joining the Thunderbirds for Saturday's game in Iroquois Falls.

Next home action for the locals is Friday, Sept. 30 against Sudbury at 7:30 p.m. at the Rhodes.

(All photos courtesy of Jim Egan.)