By Matt Stefano
The Soo Thunderbirds concluded their three game East Division road swing Sunday afternoon in Iroquois Falls against the Abitibi Eskimos. It also marked the fourth and final regular season meeting between these two clubs with the Soo winning all three.
Dalton Bruce’s fourth from Brady Clouthier gave Abitibi a 1-0 lead just 5:46 into the first. With just two seconds to go in the opening frame, it would be captain Anthony Miller getting his twentieth from Boris Katchouk and Nick Tassone to tie things at one through twenty minutes. Miller’s twentieth goal of the season also gave him his third straight year hitting the twenty goal plateau.
Boris Katchouk’s power play goal and eleventh from David Radke and Devin Shell put the Soo in front 2-1 at 6:49 into the second. Brady Clouthier’s thirty seventh from Ryan Kerr tied things at two just 1:03 later. Jaren Bellini’s twenty fourth just twenty five seconds later from Connor Dea and Boris Katchouk put the Soo back in front 3-2. David Radke’s second of the season from Matt Caruso at 12:10 extended the Soo’s lead to 4-2. Brenden Locke’s thirty seconds just 2:22 later from Brady Clouthier and Brennan Roy, cut the lead to 4-3. Caleb Boman’s sixth from Matt Caruso and Joey Miller at 17:27, put the Soo up 5-3. Then with just thirty six seconds to go in the middle frame, it would be Nick Sicoly getting his fifteenth from Boris Katchouk and Brandon Grandinetti putting the Soo up 6-3 after forty minutes of action.
Matt Pinder’s power play goal and fifteenth from David Radke and Matt Caruso at 8:35, put the Soo up 7-3. Nick Tassone’s twenty seventh at 13:12 from Matt Mitchell and Brett Jeffries rounded out the scoring as the T-Birds flew past the Abitibi Eskimos 8-3 at the Jus Jordan Arena along with winning three straight road games in three nights this weekend. The T-Birds also swept the season series vs Abitibi, winning all four times and out scoring them 26-13.
Mario Culina made twenty two stops for his seventeenth win of the season and today also marked T-Birds assistant coach Jeremy Rebek’s thirty ninth birthday.
The Soo will now return home on Tuesday, February 10th, when they take on the Blind River Beavers at 7:00 from the Essar Centre in a make up game from November 14th
