SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – A trio of third period tallies, including two into an empty net, broke open a tie game as the Blind River Beavers went on to down the Soo Eagles 5-2 Saturday in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League action at Pullar Stadium.
Each team generated some chances in the opening 20 minutes, but the clubs went to their respective dressing rooms for the first intermission still knotted at 0-0.
Skating in their home opener, Sault Ste. Marie needed less than a minute to strike in the second stanza as they came in on a two-on-one where Cooper Fredericks put a pass across to Lucas Caulfield, who went in, moved to his right and scored on Blind River netminder Connor Dunham-Fox.
The Beavers came back to tie it as 6:18, with Ryder Hill notching his initial NOJHL tally as he banged in a rebound from in close off a left point blast by Ethan Mann.
Answering right back, the Eagles regained the lead thanks to Fredericks blasting a short-side one-timer moments into a man advantage.
Blind River countered again to knot the affair at 2-2 on a two-on-one that saw Soo goalkeeper Jace Knoerle stop an Owen King shot, but Jack Kruiderink was right there to slam in the rebound.
Heading to the third, King potted the eventual game-winner with under seven minutes to go as he clicked on a man advantage by sending a rising wrister through a screen from the top of the right circle that found its way in.
The Eagles got Knoerle out late a couple of times in the late going for additional skaters, however Keenan Conn, from mid-ice, and Levi Lux, in the Soo end, both found the empty net to secure the road result and wrap things up.
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