Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League

NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE

NOJHL COMMUNICATIONS
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Release Date: Sunday, Oct. 28, 2012

Thunderbirds slip past Gold Miners

SAULT STE. MARIE – An Adam Ritchie goal with 2:33 remaining proved to be the difference as the Soo Thunderbirds slipped past the visiting Kirkland Lake Gold Miners 4-3 Sunday afternoon in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League play at Essar Centre.

The league-leading Thunderbirds netted the lone goal of the opening period as Greg Sartoretto beat Kirkland Lake netminder Chris Komma 9:06 into the contest.

Jean-Michel Naud’s fifth goal in three games lifted the Gold Miners into a tie a couple minutes into the middle frame only to see Ritchie and Darcy Casola strike later in the session to put the Soo up a pair after 40 minutes.

Taking advantage of a five-minute power play Kirkland Lake tallied twice in the first minute of the third period on markers by Royce King and Tanner Lafrance to knot the score at 3-3.

It would stay that way until Ritchie’s game-winner in the late stages allowed the T-Birds to win their fifth straight while improving to 12-1-1-2 overall.

Joel Horodziejczyk made 21 stops to pick up the win in net for the Soo who fired 29 shots on Komma as the Gold Miners fell to 10-6-0-1 and also saw a four-game win streak come to an end.