Jr. Wolves tie series

By KEITH DEMPSEY, FOR THE SUDBURY STAR

Not so long ago, the Kal Tire Sudbury Jr. Wolves were scratching their heads and looking for answers. Two games removed from a heartbreaking 3-2 loss in Game 2 and suddenly, the roles have reversed.

Last night at McClelland Arena, the Jr. Wolves exploded for seven goals and defeated the Soo Eagles 7-4 in Game 4 of its NOJHL championship final. The win ties the series at 2-2.

"We challenged ourselves to get back into this series and we did that within the last 48 hours," Jr. Wolves head coach Bryan Verreault said.

Moments after a power play ended, Jr. Wolves' Andre Comtois opened the scoring when he found a loose puck within a scramble in front of Eagles goalie Jake Robertson and put the puck in the back of the net.

A little after the Comtois goal, Jayce Douskey scored on a backhander on a breakaway.

The Eagles cut into the lead when Brian Depp scored on the power play.

On a pass by Nick Esposto, Evan Daciuk was left all alone in front of the net where he one-timed in a goal for the Jr. Wolves.

At the end of the first period, the Eagles had outshot the Jr. Wolves 17-11.

A pass from behind the net at 12:39 of the second period to a wide-open Daciuk led to his second goal of the game. Then Jason Lacroix went around an Eagles defenceman on a 1-on-1 and switched from his backhand to forehand to score.

"We had a great start and we wanted to put them (Eagles) back on their heels, which we did," Verreault said. "We played a solid game for 60 minutes."

With the score 6-1 for the Jr. Wolves, Aaron Leonard of the Eagles scored on a 5-on-3 power play. On the same power play, now a 5-on-4, Leonard scored again to cut the lead in half at 6-3
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"Those power play goals against us hurt, but we managed to answer back," Verreault said. "Our penalty kill has been good all series long, so I can't fault them."

The Eagles surged in the third period when Derek Diaz scored with a snapshot over Laino's shoulder. The comeback was cut short when Lacroix scored his second of the game at 10:56.

"We started great and, in the beginning of the third, we lost focus but came back and finished strong," Lacroix said. "It's funny how fast the series can change, but it's changed in a good way."

Joel Gagnon made his return to the lineup after receiving a high stick to the face in Game 3.

"Credit Gagnon for being back," Verreault said. "We thought it was a season-ending injury, but he found a way to be back in the lineup and help the cause. It was a team effort and we outworked them. We played hard in the beginning of the game and sat back a little bit in the third and played cautious and I give good credit to all my team."

"We'll make sure we're ready for the next game," Verreault said."Now it's a best 2-out-of-3 series and anything goes. We have momentum here so we want to keep it going.

Laino stopped 32 of 36 shots while Paterson stopped 40 of 47 shots
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Lacroix was named the first star, Comtois second star and Esposto third.

Game 5 will take place in Sault Ste. Marie Michigan at 7:30 on Saturday at Pullar Stadium.

Eagles Drop A Tough One In The Closing Seconds
RITCHIE DONAGHUE, Soo Eagles
April 5, 2010 Pullar Stadium, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

Trailing in the NOJHL finals by two games to none, the Sudbury Jr Wolves arrived at the venerable Pullar Stadium for game three facing a must win situation. 831 fans saw the Wolves score with only 9 seconds left, and tighten the series to 2-1.

The game opened with the Wolves running a solid low game and putting a tight forecheck on the Eagles. The tight checking paid off, and Nick Esposto scored the opening goal at 11:59 of the first period. Esposto held tight to the left post and jammed a shot that managed to trickle past Eagles goalie Jake Paterson. The Eagles would have a good opportunity to tie things when the Wolves went short handed for four minutes, but the Eagles could not get the power play rolling. The first period ended with the Wolves leading 1-0.

The Wolves would take a two goal lead at 04:08 of the second period with a power play goal from Mathieu Lecours, and seemed to be gaining the upper hand in play.

 At 11:09 of the second period Eagles Mike Oresey took a mid zone pass from Clayton Brackett, Orosey cleared the Wolves blue line made a quick circle through the high slow and fed a cross grain pass to Robbie Luke, who had jumped in from the blue line. Luke went top shelf on Wolves goalie Alex Laino  to make the score 2-1.

In the last second of play in the second period the Wolves jammed in front of the Eagles net, the goal light flashed briefly and referee Dale Crimin needed to ask the linesman and goal judge if the puck had crossed the line. It had and with 0.6 seconds left in the period the Wolves made the score 3-1

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The Eagles struck early in the third period, at 03:09 Chris Hoffman tipped a point shot from Derek Diaz, in heavy traffic that beat Laino. Less than 30 seconds later Aaron Leonard added another Eagles goal, the goal was rather controversial as mst players and fans had a hard time seeing the play. The goal stood and the score was tied at three goals each.

It looked like it imminent there would be overtime, but with 15 seconds left Jake Paterson made a phenomenal pad save, but the rebound went straight back if front of the Eagles net. Jr. Wolves Adam DiBrina walked in untouched and fired the rebound high over the helpless Paterson. With 9 seconds left showing on the score board the Eagles and their fans realized this one was over, and the series just got a lot tougher BOX SCORE

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CLOSING NOTES
The series resumes Thursday, April 7. 7:30 McClelland Arena in Copper Cliff, and then returns to the Pullar, Saturday, April 9th for a 7:30 start.

Soo Eagles Take Game Two Of NOJHL Finals In Overtime
RITCHIE DONAGHUE Soo Eagles
    

COPPER CLFF ONTARIO CANADA. --Coming off a decisive victory in game one of the NOJHLJunior A finals, the Soo Eagles headed for the not so hospitable confines of the McClelland Arena, in Copper Cliff, Ontario, for game two of the league championship series.

After the four hour bus trip the Eagles found their legs and took a two game lead in the series, with a hard earned 3-2 overtime victory on a short handed goal from Ryan Kelly, assisted by Anthony Wolfe.

The opening game of the series saw the Sudbury Jr Wolves playing some very undisciplined hockey and penalties cost them dearly in the opening game 7-2 victory. The Jr Wolves returned to playing some focused hockey and the game saw some good action from both squads.

The Jr Wolves opened the scoring on a power play goal at 02:00 from Matieu Lecours, but the Eagles would respond quickly with another power play goal at 02:49 from Robbie Payne, assisted by Derek Diaz and Brock Raffaele. The first period ended with athe scored tied at 1-1.

The ever dangerous Nick Esposto gave the Woves the lead at 06:20 of the second period. Eagles speedster Robbie Luke responeded at 14:22, scoring a beautiful goal to tie things at 2-2, and end the period.

The third period saw the Wolves press hard and despite out shooting the Eagles 12-3 in the frame, Eagles Goalie Jake Patterson was flawless. The game went into overtime to decide the winner.

The Jr Wolves hit penalty problems early into the overtime, going two men short for almost two minutes, but the Eagles could not catitalize on the power play.

Then at 03:26, Eagles Ryan Kelly and Anothony Wolfe teamed up for some great penalty killing and Kelly scored the short handed overtime winner into the overtime frame. BOX SCORE

The series now swings back to the venerable Pullar Stadium for game three, Tuesday, April 5, 7:30. Fans should get there early, as "Our Lady On Portage" should be rocking.

CLOSING COMMENTS
Eagles goalie Jake Patterson continues to backstop the Eagles with the confidence of a veteran. That confidence has exuded itself throughout the roster – the Eagles are running an deep effort –with and without the puck.

The Wolves are an experienced team, with lessons hard earned. This series is not over, veteran players can choose to give their best efforts as they finish their competitive hockey career, or they can choose to simply retire.

Time will tell in this series, but it's sure damn fine hockey at times.

Soo Eagles Take Title Tilt Opener
By RANDY RUSSON, MIKA MEDIA

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. -- Showcasing their speed, skill and smarts, Soo Eagles out-played and out-classed the Sudbury Jr. Wolves 7-2 here Saturday night to take a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League championship series.

From the opening whistle the Eagles went on the attack and took a 2-0 first-period lead that might have been 4-0 or 5-0 if not for a couple of hit goal posts and the strong play of Jr. Wolves goalie Alex Laino.

The Eagles then took advantage of Sudbury's lack of focus and undisciplined play in the second period to score five more times to build up a 7-0 lead and chase Laino from the net in favour of rookie Brendan O'Neill.

It was a steady stream of cheap shots by Sudbury in the second stanza and lest the Jr. Wolves think they were being picked on by Murray Meehan, the referee was actually tolerant in his treatment of the hacking visitors from the Nickel City.
With so much speed and skill of their own, many of the 1,041 fans in attendance at Pullar Stadium were left to wonder why the Jr. Wolves would resort to such chippy, dangerous tactics.

To their credit, the Jr. Wolves decided to stick to hockey in the third period and after being outshot by the Eagles 36-13 through the first two stanzas, Sudbury outshot the home side 17-8 and outscored it 2-0 in the final frame.
Brian Depp paced the Eagles with two goals and Aaron Leonard, Travis Payne, Joseph Douba, Clayton Brackett and Brock Raffaele scored once apiece.

Brackett's goal was a shorthanded beauty and he and fourth-line mates Chris Hoffman and Mike Orosey turned in a highly-effective game for the Eagles.

Defenceman Joel Gagnon had both Sudbury goals, beating Eagles goalie Jake Paterson with a pair of blow-torch lasers from the point. BOX SCORE

Game 2 in the series goes tonight at 7:30 p.m. at McClelland Arena in Copper Cliff
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Game 3 will be played back here on Tuesday night at 7:30 at the Pullar. That game will be broadcast live on local radio station AM 1400 WKNW with Dave Watson calling the play-by-play.

Soo Eagles advance to NOJHL championship series
By RANDY RUSSON, MIKA MEDIA

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. -- Soo Eagles rode the simply sensational goaltending of 1994 birth year rookie Jake Paterson to a 3-0 victory over the Soo Thunderbirds here Tuesday to take the best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series four games to two.

The highly-touted Paterson, a second-round, 2010 Ontario Hockey League draft pick of the Saginaw Spirit from the Toronto Marlies midgets, played with the poise of a veteran in making a number of spectacular stops in blanking the Thunderbirds before an energetic crowd of 1,271 at Pullar Stadium.

Paterson was at his best in the second period when he made 16 saves. The young goalie with ice in his veins also made 14 more stops in the third period. Shots on goal were 39-39.

The game was scoreless until the third period when rookie forward Brock Raffaele scored at the 28-second mark to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead. Then at 8:19, fourth-line winger Chris Hoffman, a hustling rookie who formerly played with the AAA midget Soo Indians, scored a beautiful goal to give the Eagles a two-goal margin.

Eagles captain Aaron Leonard, the heart and soul of the Michigan Soo squad, then scored at 18:39 to complete the series victory.

Goalie Michael Doan was again the Thunderbirds best player, as he was for the previous five games of the series. Doan twice stopped Eagles speedster Brian Depp on clear-cut breakaways.

Coach Bruno Bragagnolo's hardworking Eagles will now play the Sudbury Jr. Wolves in the NOJHL championship series. Game 1 is slated for Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at Pullar Stadium in the Michigan Soo.

Michael Doan backstops Thunderbirds to victory
By RANDY RUSSON, MIKA MEDIA

Michael Doan has given the Soo Thunderbirds at least another day to play.

The 6-foot-4 puckstopper made 37 saves -- many of the brilliant variety -- to backstop the Thunderbirds to a 2-1 win over the visiting Soo Eagles on Monday to extend the second-round, best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series to a sixth game.

The Eagles now lead the series three games to two.

Game 6 will be played on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Pullar Stadium in the Michigan Soo.

With the Eagles poised to clinch the series in the Monday match at the Essar Centre, Doan kept the Thunderbirds in the game in the first period as the Michiganders held an 18-10 shots on goal advantage.

The contest was scoreless until the third period when defenceman Corey Jackson gave the Birds a 1-0 lead only to have Brock Raffaele tie it for the Eagles.

But rookie winger Peter Angelopolous beat Eagles rookie tender Jake Paterson at 8:26 of the third to give the Birds a lead they would not give up.

Paterson made a number of big saves himself on the night among the 37 that he turned aside.

A season-high crowd of 1,242 watched the game at the Essar Centre.

 

Eagles Take 3-1 Lead in NOJHL Western Division Finals
RITCHIE DONAGHUE Soo Eagles

For the third time in four games, the outcome of the game was decided in overtime between the Soo Eagles and the Soo Thunderbirds. Eagles captain Aaron Leonard scored his second goal of the night at 00:48 of the first overtime period to give his team a 4-3 victory and a 3-1 lead in the series.

1116 fans saw a fast paced end to end game with the lead changing hands throughout the match up. The Eagles drew first blood with a power play goal from Taylor Pickering at 08:08 of the first period. The Thunderbirds would answer with back to back goals from the crafty Jake Wright at 15:47 and 18:08. The first period ended with the TBirds leading 2-1.

The Tbirds would then take a 3-1 lead with a goal from former Eagle Kevin Michelcavage at 01:06. Travis Payne would answer for the Eagles at 12:11 to pull them to within one goal, and the second period ended with the Eagles trailing by a score of 3-2.

At 10:35 of the third period Aaron Leonard tied the game, goal assisted by George Curry and Brian Depp. The "LCD" line (Leonard, Curry and Depp) was very effective throughout the game. Leonard was named the games first star, while Curry was named second star.

Leonard scored the winner early in the first overtime frame to ice the win and put a 3-1 stranglehold on the series.

Jake Patterson took the win in the Eagles net stopping 33 shots, while Michael Doan took the tough loss for the TBirds, stopping 25 shots.

Action resumes Monday, March 28, 7pm at the Essar Centre, with the series returning to the Pullar Tuesday, March 29, 7:30 (if needed) BOX SCORE

Soo Eagles work overtime
By RANDY RUSSON, MIKA MEDIA

Soo Eagles parlayed a strong road effort into a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory over the Soo Thunderbirds on Friday night to take a two games to one lead in their second-round, best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series.

Rookie sensation Robbie Payne -- who scored a team-high 39 goals during the regular season -- tallied at 8:49 of OT to lift the visiting Eagles to victory before a Thunderbirds season-high crowd of 1,077 at the Essar Centre.

Payne's goal gave the Michiganders their second road win of the series -- both in overtime.

In the series opener, Payne's older brother Travis scored the OT winner in a 3-2 Eagles victory
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The Thunderbirds took Game 2 of the series 3-0 at Pullar Stadium in the Michigan Soo
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The Eagles have yet to lose on the road in these playoffs. They won both games at Blind River in the opening round en route to a four games to one series victory over the Beavers.

Friday's game was a goaltending duel of spectacular sorts between 16-year old Jake Paterson of the Eagles and Michael Doan, the Thunderbirds 19-year old stopper and first-team NOJHL all-star.

Cool as a cucumber, Paterson -- a second-round pick of the Saginaw Spirit at the 2010 Ontario Hockey League Draft -- hardly resembled the 1994 birth year youngster that he is. Playing with the poise of a veteran, Paterson made one big save after another and allowed only a second-period power-play goal by Gregory Sartoretto.

In all, Paterson made 45 saves on the night.

Eagles captain Aaron Leonard gave his team a 1-0 lead at 1:34 of the second period before Sartoretto tied it later that frame at 11:26.

It was, to be sure, an inspiring effort by the Eagles who played without three players, including top four defenceman Tyler Osborne and gritty forward Gavin Burbach.

Osborne and Burbach, along with reserve defenceman Eric Fletcher, were suspended by Eagles coach-general manager Bruno Bragagnolo for violating team rules.

Bragagnolo, meanwhile, took the high road in discussing his team's clutch victory. "We played well but so they did the Thunderbirds," Bragagnolo said evenly. "What I liked from our guys is that we played better as the game went on."

Game 4 in the series is tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Pullar Stadium in the Michigan Soo. BOX SCORE

A Tale of Two Cities, And A Heck Of A Series
BY RITCHIE DONAGHUE
Wednesday, March 23, 2010 Pullar Stadium, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

Coming off an overtime win at the Essar Centre, the Soo Eagles matched up with the Soo Thunderbirds in game two of the NOJHL Western finals. The Tbirds kept their game simple and hard, and hard work paid off with a 3-0 win to put the series at one game each.

 The opening period saw the TBirds play dump and chase, forcing the Eagle defense to play the deep out, with often poor results, and many bad turnovers. The Eagles defense coughed up a bad give away with three minutes left in the first period. The lanky TBird winger Peter Angelopolos made them pay with a wicked shot at 18:01 that beat Eagles goalie John Kleinhans cleanly. Kleinhans was solid throughout the game and little chance on the two goals that got past him. The first period ended with a barrage of TBird shots and Kleinhans kept the Eagles in the game.

The second period started with the TBirds controlling the play, but as the period progressed the Eagles started to find their stride. But on most chances the Eagles shot wide of TBird goalie Michael Doan or simply put the puck into Doans ever present large body. The line of Jerry Petingalo, Peter Angelopolos and Kevin Michaelcavage used their size to overpower the Eagles when they were on the ice.

After a serious scolding by the Eagles coaching staff, the Eagles seemed to find their stride, but could not crack the high press from the TBirds. Nick Casolo made the score 2-0 TBirds at 02:12, and the TBirds played with composure to finish the period when Nick Romano added an empty netter at 18:36 to close out the score at 3-0 for the TBirds.

The Eagles outshot the Thunderbirds 34-27, TBird goalie Michael Doan was awarded the games first star. TBird Nick Romano was second star and the Eagles Dman Robbie Luke was third star. Luke showed good hustle all night, and often jumped into the play, creating some good chances BOX SCORE

The series now stands at one game each, with action slated for Friday, March 25, 7 pm at the Essar Centre, and returning to the Pullar Stadium Saturday, March 26, 7:30.

Eagles Take Down TBirds In Series Opener

By RITCHIE DONAGHUE
Sunday, March 20, 2010 Essar Centre, Sault Ste Marie ON

731 fans were treated to some fast end to end action in the opening game of the NOJHL Western finals between the Soo Eagles and the Soo Thunderbirds. Like many games between these cross border rivals, the outcome was decided in overtime.



The Eagles speedy Brian Depp opened the scoring at 07:07 of the first period after taking a nice pass from Aaron Leonard. Depp was effective throughout the game using his speed on the larger Essar ice to gain the outside lanes. The Eagles would move ahead 2-0 at 12:38 when Ryan Kelly took a nice feed from Gavin Burbach and beat TBird goalie Michael Doan. The Tbirds had many good chances to end the period, but Eagles goalie Jake Patterson was stalwart and kept them off the score sheet.

At 05:54 of the second period the ever dangerous Nick Romano gained the high slot, slid in from the left side, faked a cross ice pass and then beat Patterson high blocker. The period closed with the Eagles leading 2-1.

Both teams had numerous chances in the third, but both Doan and Patterson were solid between the pipes. The TBirds tied the score at 2-2 at 17:15 of the period. That was the last marker in regulation time and the game went into overtime.

With the playoff format in place, the teams went into overtime at full strength. At 03:09 of overtime Travis Payne took a clearing pass from goalie Jake Patterson and drove hard to the TBirds net, before knocking his own rebound behind Tbird goalie Michael Doan. Doan had little chance on the play. Both goalies were very tough to beat in this match up and fans were treated to some sensational saves at both ends of the rink.

Action resumes this Wednesday, March 23 for a 7:30 at venerable Pullar Stadium. Fans should get there early, as seats will be filling fast as the “Border Battle” is the only hockey game left in town, and it’s going to be one heck of a Battle BOX SCORE!


Soo Eagles Advance To NOJHL Western Final

By RANDY RUSSON, MIKA MEDIA

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. -- Rookie Brock Raffaele's goal at 1:20 of overtime lifted the Soo Eagles to a 3-2 win over the Blind River Beavers here Tuesday and gave the Michiganders the best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series four games to one.

Raffaele tipped Tyler Osborne's point shot past Beavers goalie David Lasher to advance the Eagles to the second round of the playoffs against the Soo Thunderbirds. That series will begin on Sunday night at the Essar Centre in the Canadian Soo.

Overtime was made necessary here in Game 5 when Blind River got third-period goals from Andrew Tessier at 13:19 and Nathan MacLeod at 18:16 to tie the score at 2-2. Travis Payne and Robby Luke had given the Eagles a previous 2-0 lead.

Blind River out-played the Eagles for a good portion of the game, out-shooting the home side 39-32. But Eagles goalie John Kleinhans, making his first start of the series in place of an ailing Jake Paterson, played rather well in making 37 saves.

The Eagles were again minus scoring sensation Robbie Payne, who missed his fourth straight game with a concussion. The rookie Payne had 39 regular-season goals, second-most in the NOJHL.

A crowd of 544 watched the game here at Pullar Stadium.

Soo Eagles win again in Blind River
By RANDY RUSSON, MIKA MEDIA

For the second Saturday night in a row, the Soo Eagles fashioned a third-period comeback in Blind River to steal a playoff victory.

Down 3-0 close to the midway mark of the second period and trailing 4-2 heading into the third, the Eagles scored four times in the final frame to pull out a 6-5 victory over the Beavers to take a 3-1 lead in the first-round, best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series. After dropping the series opener 3-1 on home ice, the Eagles have won three straight games over the Beavers by 5-4, 7-1 and 6-5 scores.

It was last Saturday in Blind River that the Eagles pulled off their first comeback. Trailing 4-2 with just over five minutes to play in the third period, the Michiganders rallied for a stunning 5-4 win to even the series. It was more of the same last night.

Trailing 3-0 and then 4-2, the Eagles got goals at 2:22, 10:36, 13:26 and 14:12 of the third period to take a 6-4 lead. Blind River narrowed the gap with a goal at 15:58 but the Eagles were able to hold on for the victory.

The Eagles outshot the Beavers 16-5 in the third period and 32-29 for the game in front of a crowd of 337 at the Blind River Memorial Community Centre.

George Curry and Brock Raffaele paced the Eagles with two goals apiece and Gavin Burbach and Aaron Leonard each scored once. Burbach added two assists.

Cody Edwards, Brad Langford, Nathan MacLeod, Drew MacMillan and Easton Powers scored for Blind River.

Game 5 in the series is Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. at Pullar Stadium in the Michigan Soo.

Eagles Move Ahead Two Games to One
Friday, March 11, Pullar Stadium, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

With the NOJHL Western semi final series tied at a game each, 748 fans watched the Soo Eagles move ahead of the Blind River Beavers two games to one in a spirited match-up at the venerable Pullar Stadium.

The Eagles struck early at the 00:10 mark of the opening period, when speedy Brian Depp beat Beavers goalie Josh McInnes, goal assisted by Aaron Leonard. Depp would add his second marker, and the game winner at  03:58, assisted by George Curry and Sam Hadar. The Eagles would mount a 4-0 lead to end the first period with goals from Travis Payne and Brock Raffaele. The first period was marked by numerous incidents and referee Charlie Gimple was hard pressed to keep the game under control.

The Eagles would start the scoring in the second period with another goal from the crafty Brock Raffaele at 11:01. The Beavers would answer with their lone marker at 15:31 from Nathan McLeod. The Eagles Robby Luke answered at 18:35 with a power play goal to end the period with the Eagles holing a 6-1 lead.

Taylor Pickering would score the Eagles final goal at 11:04 of the third to ice the commanding 7-1 victory BOX SCORE
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CLOSING NOTES
The Eagles travel to Blind River, tonight, Saturday, March 12 for the fourth game of the series at the Blind River Community Centre. Look for a spirited game as tempers are starting to flare between the two teams. The Eagles return to the Pullar for game five of the series, Tuesday, March 15, 7:30 game time.

Soo Eagles stage furious comeback
By RANDY RUSSON, MIKA MEDIA

BLIND RIVER -- Leading by two goals with just over five minutes to play in the third period, the hometown Blind River Beavers were on the verge of taking a two-game lead over the Soo Eagles in their best-of-seven, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series.

But the Eagles gave new meaning to the old phrase "it ain't over until it's over."

Trailing 4-2, captain Aaron Leonard scored at 14:46 of the third to pull the Eagles to within one. Exactly three minutes later at 17:46, Leonard scored again to tie the game. Then, at 19:28, Brian Depp put the puck past Beavers goalie David Lasher to cap a furious comeback and give the Eagles a 5-4 victory and tie the series at one game apiece.

"That's what makes hockey the best game in the world, you just never know," said Eagles coach Bruno Bragagnolo in the aftermath of his team's stunning triumph.

Before the comeback, Brock Raffaele and George Curry had scored earlier goals for the Eagles, who outshot the Beavers 46-35.

Nathan MacLeod, Easton Powers, Brad Langford and Justin Erhart replied for Blind River.

Games 3 and 4 of the series will be played next weekend: Friday in the Michigan Soo and Saturday in Blind River

Beavers upend Eagles in NOJHL playoff opener
By RANDY RUSSON, MIKA MEDIA
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. --

Right from the outset, the Blind River Beavers looked like the better team. They hustled, they won the faceoffs, they forechecked, they backchecked, they worked the trap.

With a full 60-minute effort, the visiting Beavers left Pullar Stadium here Friday night with a tidy 3-1 win over the Soo Eagles in Game 1 of the best-of-seven, opening round, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League playoff series.

For whatever reason, the Eagles seemed listless throughout the game and rarely mounted a sustained attack on Beavers goalie David Lasher, who faced just 23 shots.The sluggish Eagles were a sharp contrast to the team that usually skates hard and fast and creates a lot of scoring opportunities.

To be sure, coach Bruno Bragagnolo's Eagles will need to regroup in a hurry with Game 2 of the series tonight at the Memorial Community Centre in Blind River.

Coach Jim Capy's Beavers scored goals in all three periods to take the series lead and silence the Pullar crowd of 415.Drew MacMillan, Nathan MacLeod and Sault Ste. Marie product Anthony Butorac all scored for the Beavers on Eagles rookie goalie Jake Paterson.

Mike Orosey scored the lone goal for the Eagles, who were outshot 27-23.

Eagles Drop a Heartbreaker in a Shootout
Friday, February 25, 2011 Pullar Stadium, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

With 49 games played in the NOJHL regular season, first place in the Western Division came down to one game. 1231 fans cheered loudly as the Soo Eagles and the Soo Thunderbirds played to a tie in regulation time and overtime, before the winner was decided in a shootout.

Despite out shooting the TBirds 40-24, the Eagles were defeated when TBird Geoff Gienni scored the only goal in the shoot out, giving the TBirds a 3-2 victory, possession of first place and the Rollie King Cup.

The Eagles opened the scoring at 05:21 of the first period when Robbie Payne found the mesh after a low scramble, goal assisted by Travis Payne and Eric Fletcher. The Eagles had some good opportunities throughout the period, but TBird goalie Michael Doan was stalwart, including shutting down Brian Depp on a clear cut breakaway at 09:52 of the first period.
The TBirds would tie the score at 10:55 of the second period on a power play goal. TBird Corey Jackson snapped a quick wrist shot past Eagle goalie Jake Paterson, who had little chance on the play.

The third period saw the play open up and both teams had solid scoring opportunities. Brock Raffaele went it off the right hard wall, delayed and then snapped a rising rocket of a shot that beat Michael Doan high glove side.

The Eagles had the upper hand for most of the period, but Kevin Michelcavage tied the score at 17:22, sending the game to overtime.

The Eagles had a power play for 85 seconds in the overtime, but despite having the 4-3 man advantage, they could not beat the lanky Michael Doan in the TBird net.

Geoff Gienni scored the only goal in the shootout and the TBirds won the game 3-2 and clinched first place in the NOJHL Western Division
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The Eagles will now face the Blind River Beavers in the semi finals. Schedule will be announced this week. Soo fans can look forward to some fast paced action, as this will be the third year in a row the Eagles and Beavers have met in the play offs. Expect no love lost between these two teams.

Thunderbirds, Eagles to decide 1st place on Friday, February 25
By RANDY RUSSON, MIKA MEDIA

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. -- A frantic race for first place in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League is going down to the final game of the regular season between the Soo Thunderbirds and Soo Eagles.

Before a loud Wednesday night crowd of 833 fans here at Pullar Stadium, the Thunderbirds netted a 4-3 overtime decision over the Eagles to take a one-point lead over their cross-river rivals in the NOJHL's overall standings.

The Birds now have 77 points and the Eagles have 76. The two teams will meet again on Friday night at the Pullar with first place in the NOJHL on the line.

Defenceman Geoff Gieni's unassisted goal at 2:16 of overtime gave the Thunderbirds the dramatic victory on Wednesday. Gieni's goal came after Brock Raffaele of the Eagles beat Thunderbirds goalie Michael Doan at 15:30 of the third period to set the stage for OT.

Travis Payne and Sam Hadar scored earlier goals for the Eagles.

Jerry Petingalo and rookies Joel McCauley and Darcy Casola scored the other Thunderbird goals.Petingalo's goal was his team-leading 29th of the season.

The game was evenly-matched as indicated by the 45-45 shots on goal total though the Eagles controlled play for much of the third period.

Despite giving up the tieing goal in the third, Doan stopped 17 other shots in the frame.

16-year old rookie Jake Paterson tended twine for the Eagles and despite making 41 saves in total, allowed two questionable goals.

Dale Cryderman handled refereeing duties and allowed several apparent infractions by both teams to go uncalled.

The Eagles Take Two Games Heading Into The TBird Showdown for 1st
February 20, 2010 by Scott in Hockey, Sports, Pullar Stadium, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

The Soo Eagles continued their winning ways this past weekend and defeated the Abitibi Eskimos and the Manitoulin Islanders to set their regular season record at 37-10-1, for 75 points. That puts them tied with their cross river rivals, the Soo Thunderbirds. The Eagles and Tbirds will meet this Wednesday, Feb. 23 and Friday, Feb. 25 to decide who will take first place for the 2010-2011 NOJHL regular season.

EAGLES 3, ESKIMOS 2, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18

After an hour and a half delay due to the inclement weather, the Soo Eagles and Abitibi Eskimos played out a close checking game, which saw the Eagles hang on for a 3-2 victory. The Eagles were lead by Trvis Payne who scored two goals in a second period 3 goal rally. Linemate Brock Raffaele set up both goals and was awarded the games first star for his efforts.

Linemate Robbie Payne added the third Eagles goal. Abitibi goals were both scored by Gary Rai. John Kleinhans got the win in the Eagles net, stopping 44 of 46 shots, J P Fecteau took the loss, stopping 31 of 34 shots BOX SCORE

EAGLES 9, ISLANDERS 1, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19

The Soo Eagles continued their domination of the last place Manitoulin Islanders, defeating the Isles 9-1 in a penalty filled game, which saw many misconducts handed out

Robbie Payne lead the Eagles with a 5 goal effort, brother Travis Payne added a solo marker , with other Eagles goals scored by Aaron Leonard and George Curry BOX SCORE

The Eagles hang 10 heading into 2011
Written on December 20, 2010 by Scott in Hockey, Sports, EUPNews.com

The Soo Eagles won their 10th straight Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League game on Sunday afternoon at Pullar Stadium as they exploded for five 2nd period goals en route to a 6-3 victory over the Temiscaming Royals.

Six different Eagles netted goals on Sunday as they cut the Soo Thunderbirds lead in the West Division down to 8 points. The Eagles have 5 games in hand.

Eagles net minder John Kleinhans earned his second straight victory and made 34 saves.

Gavin Burbach, Nathan Glass, George Curry, Brian Depp, Travis Payne and Brock Raffaele had the goals for the Eagles. They also had 13 different players that tallied points on the afternoon.

The Eagles will resume their season after the holiday break on Wednesday, January 5 as they will take on the Soo Thunderbirds at the John Rhodes Community Centre. The Eagles lead the season series against the Thunderbirds 6-3, and one more victory against their rivals and they will claim the Rollie King Memorial Cup. BOX SCORE.

Eagles win 9th straight
Written on December 18, 2010 by Scott in Hockey, Sport, EUPNews.com

The Soo Eagles keep on rollin’ and the Border Battle is becoming one-sided.

The Eagles won their 9th straight game on Friday night at Pullar Stadium as they downed the Soo Thunderbirds, 4-2 Friday night at Pullar Stadium. The Eagles now trail the first-place Thunderbirds by 8 points in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Western Division. The Eagles have 5 games in hand.

The Eagles lead the season series and the battle for the Rollie Memorial Cup 6 games to 3 and need only one more victory in their remaining 3 games against the Thunderbirds to claim the cup.

T.J. Karavos scored the winning goal at 17:25 of the third period to lift the Eagles to victory.

John Kleinhans made 36 saves in goal for the Eagles

Aaron Leonard and Brock Raffaele also scored for the Eagles, who honored retired coach and franchise founder Paul Theriault during the game. December 17th will be known as Paul Theriault day in Sault Ste. Marie.

You can see the box score of last night’s game here. BOX SCORE.

The Eagles go for 10 in a row as they host Temiscaming on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. at the Pullar. If you can make the game you can catch all the action on fasthockey.com.

The New Soo Eagles appreciate every fan that has supported us, and we want to bring you more of the "Fast and Furious" hockey you've come to enjoy.

To show our appreciation, this Friday December, 17th will be "Holiday Special Friday". The Eagleshost the Soo Thunderbirds for game nine of "The Border Battle", and if you attend, keep your ticket stub and use it for half price attendance on Sunday, December 19, 2 PM when the Eagles host the speedy Temiscaming Royals.

The Eagles wish everyone the happiest of holidays.

Soo Eagles complete impressive sweep
By RANDY RUSSON, RR MEDIA SERVICE

Travis Payne's goal at 2:03 of overtime lifted the Soo Eagles to a dramatic 5-4 win over the Sudbury Jr. Wolves in Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League action on Saturday night at Pullar Stadium.

Payne's game winner came after Sudbury's Adam DiBrina had tied the score 4-4 with 25 seconds remaining in the third period.

The victory over the East Division-leading Jr. Wolves capped an impressive weekend sweep on home ice for the Eagles, who had drubbed the Blind River Beavers 8-4 on Friday night.
With 41 points from a 20-7-1 record, the Eagles maintained their second-place hold in the West Division over third-place Blind River, which has 34 points.

And the sweep moved the Eagles to within eight points of the West Division-leading Soo Thunderbirds. The Eagles have four games in hand on the Thunderbirds.

Besides Payne's OT winner in Saturday's squeaker over Sudbury, Rob Luke, George Curry, Gavin Burbach and Brian Depp also scored for coach Bruno Bragagnolo's well-conditioned Eagles.

Rookie goalie Jake Paterson, on loan from the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League, made 40 saves to improve his Eagles record to 6-0.

Bragagnolo said he expects to hear from Saginaw soon as to whether or not the Eagles will have the services of the 16-year old Paterson for the remainder of the season.

Besides DiBrina's two goals, former OHLer Nick Esposto and Justin Lacroix also scored for the Jr. Wolves.

Eagles Defeat Beavers To Go Seven Wins in a Row

Friday, December 10, 2010 Pullar Stadium, Sault Ste Marie Michigan

Coming off a much appreciated Thanksgiving break, the Soo Eaglesare really starting to find their wings. This Friday at the venerable Pullar Stadium, Soo fans were treated to some excellent Junior A hockey, as the Eagles defeated the Blind River Beavers by a score of 8-4. The victory was the seventh in a row for the Eagles and they are currently in second place in the Western Diveision of the NOJHL.

The Eagles lead 2-0 at the end of the first period with goals from Aaron Leonard and Anthony Wolf. The period also saw some very physical play, which ended with a classic tilt between Eagles Tyler Osborner and Beavers Reed Broadhurst.

The Beavers tried to crawl back into the game and Brad Pascall scored at 00:13 of the second to make the score 2-1. Then the Eagles took control and Robbie Payne and Brock Raffaelle scored to close out the second period with the Eagles leading 4-1.

The food gates opened in the third and Eagles amassed another four goals, coming from Ryan Dolence, Brian Depp with two and Robbie Payne added his second goal. Cody Edwards, Brian Adam and Dereck Hurley scored for the Beavers. BOX SCORE.

CLOSING COMMENTS
The Eagles sit in second place in the NOJHL Western Division, ten points behind the Soo Thunderbirds, but the Eagles also have four games in hand, this should be a great race right down to the final bell of the "Border Battle"

Soo Fans can see the powerful Sudbury Junior Wolves, when they invade the Pullar, tonight, December 11, for a 7:30 game time.

Eagles skate past Thunderbirds in Game Eight of Border Battle.
By RANDY RUSSON, RR MEDIA SERVICE

Soo Eagles out-played and out-scored the Soo Thunderbirds on Wednesday night, defeating the visitors 5-3 in Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League action at John Rhodes Community Centre.

Travis Payne scored the game winner at 8:53 of the third period and Brian Depp sealed the deal with an empty-netter as the Eagles defeated the Thunderbirds for the fifth time in eight tries this season.

The Eagles out-shot the Birds 34-26 and for the most part, controlled the tempo and flow of the game.

Anthony Wolfe, Joseph Duoba and Brock Raffaele also scored for the Michiganders.

Thunderbirds goalie Michael Doan had little chance on any of the goals that eluded him. Aside from rookie defenceman Mitchell Dionisi, the Thunderbird blueline brigade allowed the Eagles a lot of room to move about in front of Doan.

Jerry tPetingalo, Jake Wright and midget call-up Matt Zalewski replied for the Birds, beating Eagles goalie John Kleinhans, who picked up his 10th win of the season. The victory for the Eagles improves their record to 18-7-1.

The Thunderbirds record now stands at 23-5-3. The Eagles have five games in hand on the Birds BOX SCORE.

Eagles Take Two Wins On The Road, To Move Back Into Second Place

Saturday, December 4, 2010 Blind River Civic Centre

After suffering three consecutive losses to the pesky Blind River Beavers the Soo Eagles headed into the “Beaver Pond” in Blind River, Ontario looking to make amends. The Eagles won a hard earned 5-3 victory to move back into second place in the NOJHL Western Division.

In a back and forth battle the Eagles started the scoring with a goal from Joseph Duoba at 01:32, assisted by Gavin Burbach and Ryan Dolence. The Beavers would respond with goals from Brad Pascall and speedyDrew MacMillan, to end the first period at 2-1 in favor of the Beavers.

Robbie Payne would tie the game at 11:43 of the second period, assisted by Brock Raffaele. But the Beavers persisted and Easton Powers scored at 12:31 to give the Beavers a 3-2 lead to end the second period.

The third period saw the “LCD” line take control,  Aaron Leonard, George Curry and Brian Depp were solid in the period. Leonard scored the tieing goal at 08:32, and then George Curry scored the game winner at 17:26. Curry added a second goal with an empty netter at 19:32, to ice the 5-3 victory. BOX SCORE

Sunday, December 5, 2010 Nemi Centre, Little Current, Ontario

The Soo Eagles rolled to an impressive 12-1 victory over the Manitoulin Islanders.
Robbie Payne lead the Eagles with a five goal performance, Tyler Osborne scored twice and single markers went to Aaron Leonard, Derek Diaz, Mike Orosey, Travis Payne, Anthony Wolfe and Brian Depp BOX SCORE.

CLOSING NOTES
This week should see some great NOJHL hockey action. The Eagles cross the bridge to face the league leading Soo Thunderbirds at the Rhodes Centre in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario. Weekend action swings back to the venerable Pullar Stadium for the Blind River Beavers, Friday, December 10, 7:30, and then the Eastern Division leading Sudbury Wolves invade the Pullar Saturday night for a 7:30 start, this is a rare opportunity to watch the Jr. Wolves and they are an exciting, gritty hockey team.

Perfect week for the Soo Eagles, Three games, three wins
RANDY RUSSON, RR MEDIA SERVICE

Soo Eagles capped a perfect week in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League by upending the visiting Manitoulin Islanders 7-4 on Sunday afternoon at Pullar Stadium. The victory followed successive triumphs over the first-place Soo Thunderbirds and improved the Eagles record to 15-7-1, good for 31 points, which is second overall in the eight-team NOJHL.

Derek Diaz triggered three goals for the Eagles in Sunday's win, giving the Chicago product nine tallies on the season.
Joseph Duoba, Robbie Payne, Josh Camiller and Brian Depp also scored for the Eagles, who outshot Manitoulin 50-29. Patrick Shaw, Trevor Daynes, Amit Grummit-Morris and Dennis Larson scored for Manitoulin, which has won just one of 22 games this season

A Clean Sweep As The Eagles TakeThe Lead In The Border Battle

Saturday, November 20, Pullar Stadium, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

Following a decicive victory over the Soo Thunderbirds, earlier in the week, The Soo Eagles returned for a rematch at the venerable Pullar Stadium. A solid effort by the Eagles earned them a 6-4 victory over the Thunderbirds, and the Eagles now lead the “Border Battle”, 4-3.

The Eagles struck early with quick back to back goals at 01:52 and 02:30, goals scored by Derek Diaz and George Curry. The TBirds would counter with two goals scored by David McCaig and Geoff Gieni, to end the first period at 2-2.

The Eagles would take another two goal lead in the second period with a goal from Aaron Leonard at 04:20 and Gavin Burbach at 12:43. With the flow going in the Eagles favor, TBird Greg Sartoretto scored to make the score 4-3. Eagles Brock Raffaele responded and scored the game winner in the closing seconds of the second period at 19:58.

The TBirds would pull to within one goal at 03:03 of the third with a goal from Nick Romano. The TBirds would press hard, but newly returned Eagle goalie Jake Patterson was a wall and denied the TBirds on every opportunity to close the period. Aaron Leonard added an empty netter at 19:27 to ice the 6-4 victory, and keep the Eagles within striking distance of the league leading TBirds. BOX SCORE

Eagles Even Up The Border Battle In An 8-5 Scorefest


Things are getting more interesting in “The Border Battle” between the Soo Eagles and the Soo Thunderbirds – which is great for fans on both sides of the river. The Eagles tied the series up at three games each, after winning a seesaw game at the Rhodes Centre in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario.

The Eagles Chris Hoffman started the scoring at 06:36 of the first period on a nice passing play from Anthony Wolfe and Joseph Duoba. The TBirds would even it up at 09:04, with a goal from TBird Captain Jerry Petingalo. The Eagles went on the power play near the end of the period and Aaron Leonard scored a power play goal at 18:52, assisted by Sam Hadar and Brian Depp.

The TBirds tied the score at 2-2 at the 06:42 mark of the second period with a goal from Greg Sartoretto. The Eagles would respond with two quick goals, Trevor Burback scored at 13:15 and less than a minute later Robbie Payne scored to make thye score 4-2. TBirds Colby Sponemore scored a power play goal at 16:40 to end the second period at 4-3 in favor of the Eagles.

The Eagles came out flying to start the third period, and Tyler Osborne scored at 00:26, assisted by Robbie Luke. Travis Payne scored the game winner at 04:37, on a power play goal, assisted by Brock Raffaele and Robby Luke. The Tbirds scored two goals to put the score at 6-5, but the Eagles responded with a nice goal at 14:48, from Robbie Payne, assisted from Robbie Luke and Travis Payne. Payne and Luke were excellent throughout the game. Anthony Wolfe added an empty netter at 19:48 to close out the scoring at 8-5 in favor of the Eagles. BOX SCORE

CLOSING NOTES
The Border Battle now stands even at 3 wins each, action resumes this Saturday, November 20, with a 7:30 game at the venerable Pullar Stadium. Hockey fans from both sides of the border can look forward to some spirited action. Get there early for the best seats, and don’t forget the cold refreshments and the always sumptuous “Pullar Burgers” at the canteen.

Eagles Split On Weekend Road Trip To Blind River And Manitoulin Island

Saturday, November 6, 2010 Blind River Community Centre

The Eagles had a difficult start to their weekend road trip, Saturday night in the “Beaver Pond” (Blind River Community Centre). Despite outshooting the Blind River Beavers 44 to 35, the Eagles suffered a 5-1 defeat to the pesky Beavers.

The unusual dimensions of the Blind River C.C. can be a difficult arena to play in, with the short distance between the two blue lines. The Beavers used their home ice advantage, and ran a tough trap to stymie the speedy Eagles and give them little space to get things rolling.

Beavers goalie David Lasher was stellar on the night, stopping 43 of 44 shots. Beaver Drew MacMillan had two goals, with single markers going to Cody Edwards, Easton Powers and Brett Campbell.

Brian Depp scored the Eagles goal, assisted by George Curry and Aaron Leonard. BOX SCORE

The Eagles return to the Blind River C. C. this Saturday, November 13, 7:30, when they hope to redeem the back to back losses to the pesky Beavers.

Sunday, November 7, 2010 Nemi Centre, Little Current, Ontario

The Eagles swept into Little Current Sunday afternoon and defeated the Manitoulin Islanders to gain a weekend split, and a much needed two points.

Brian Depp lead the attack for the Eagles with two goals, while single markers were scored by Travis Payne, Sam Hadar, Nathan Glass, Robbie Payne and Aaron Leonard.

The Eagles outshot the Islanders 56-36 in the afternoon effort. Gritty Dman Tyler Osborne was awarded first game star, and Robby Luke was awarded second game star. BOX SCORE

The Highs And Lows Of Junior Hockey
Eagles Drop Two Games At Home, To The Islanders and Beavers

Following a three game sweep in the hostile territory of Northern Ontario, the Soo Eagles returned to the twin Soo’s and suffered a tough loss to the league leading Sault Thunderbirds at the Rhodes Centre. Hoping to get back on track, the Eagles returned to the venerable Pullar Stadium, to face the Manitoulin Islanders and the Blind River Beavers.

What might have been a good chance to keep in stride with the league leading TBirds, turned into a lack luster effort in two games, and ended with two losses.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30, 7:30 PULLAR STADIUM
Coming off a poor effort against the Manitoulin Islanders, the Eagles faced the pesky Blind River Beavers, in a fight for second place in the NOJHL Western Division.

The Beavers came out flying and made some nice passing plays to pull ahead 2-0 on goals from Gabe West and Grant Paulson. Robbie Payne showed a good effort at 17:29 of the first period with a nice goal assisted from Brock Raffaele, ending the period at 2-1 for the Beavers.

The Beavers controlled most of the second period, but Eagles goalie Aaron Beutenmiller made some solid saves to keep the period scoreless.

At 02:11 of the third period Nathan McLeod scored the game winner for the Beavers, making the score 3-1. In the closing seconds of the third period, the Eagle ahd a two man advantage and pulled their goalie to have a three man advantage, Derek Diaz scored at at 19:47, to make the score 3-2. The Eagles goal was a little too little, a little too late, and the Beaver took two all-important points in the Western Division race for second place. BOX SCORE

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 7:30 PULLAR STADIUM
In a game that saw over forty penalties awarded, the Eagles lost composure and took many needless retaliation penalties that cost them two points, as they were defeated 6-5, by the last place Manitoulin Islanders.

The Eagles took an early 2-0 lead with goals from Aaron Leonard and Clayton Brackett. The Isles wouls add a goal by Amit Grummet-Morriss to end the first period at 2-1.

Anthony Wolfe would make the score 3-1 at 06:09 of the second period, but the Isles answered at 10:08 on a power play goal from Brendan Boyle to pull close at 3-2. Matt Ragains scored at 13:52 to end the second at 4-2 in favor of the Eagles.

In the third period the penalty boxes were filled and the Isles added four goals from Clint Fox, Amit Grummet-Morriss, Brendan Boyle and Michael Schiavone to give the Isles the 6-5 victory. Robby Luke scored a solo marker in the third period for the Eagles.

This was the first victory of the year for the Islanders and they worked hard, and took advantage of a poor Eagle effort to earn it. BOX SCORE

Soo Thunderbirds took Round 5 of the Border Battle on Wednesday night at John Rhodes Community Centre.
By RANDY RUSSON, RR MEDIA SERVICE, October 27, 2010

The Thunderbirds spotted the cross-river Soo Eagles a 2-0 lead and came back to upend the Michiganders 3-2.

Michael Doan made 24 saves and Matt Fuller, Kelly Barrett and Laurie Gieni scored for the Birds, who improved their record atop the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League standings to 13-2-1.

Brian Depp and Brock Raffaele replied for the Eagles, who now have a record of 11-3-1.
The Birds outshot the Eagles 36-25 before 263 fans at the Rhodes Centre and now lead the Border Battle series three games to two.

Eagles 5 at Royals 4
Courtesy of Temiscaming Royals. October 24, 2010 at Le Centre, Temiscaming, Quebec.

The Soo Eagles playing their third game in less than 48 hours didn't show any signs of fatigue this afternoon at the Centre as they defeated the Royals by the score of 5-4 in front of 242 fans. Perhaps it was the Royals, who have not played a game in eight days that were showing signs of rust. At any rate, the first period ended without any scoring. Shots on goal were 14-10 Eagles. Both John Kleinhans of the Soo and the Royals Mikell Bilodeau had the crowd on their feet a few times in the opening frame.

It took almost half the game to go by before the scoreless tie was broken. The Eagles' Robbie Payne opened the scoring going down his off wing and blasting a shot over Bilodeau's blocker to give the visitors the first lead of the game. Only 22 seconds later, Matt Ragains made it 2-0 Eagles as he banged in a loose puck in a scramble in front of the Royals net. The Royals cut the lead in half when Andre Leclair put one off the post and then in on Kleinhans. Gavin Burbach restored the two goal lead at the 16:51 mark. Less than two minutes later on a beautiful 3 way passing play, Griffin Hodges put the Royals back to within one goal. Assists went to Andre Leclair and Robin Mendelsohn. Shots after forty minutes were 10-9 Eagles.

The third period got started in the visitors favour as only 1:43 into the final frame, the Eagles again restored a two goal lead as Derek Diaz scored. The Royals seemed to get some wind in their sails in the third and carried a lot of the action in the Soo zone. At 13:46 Robin Mendelsohn with helpers from Leclair and Chris Hebert made it 4-3 with a power play goal. Only 54 seconds later, Griffin Hodges with his second of the game tied the score at four. Again Leclair and Mendelsohn collected the assists. It was looking like these two teams were headed to an extra period and maybe beyond to determine the winner, but it was not to be as Brock Raeffaele banged in a rebound from beside Bilodeau's goal crease and send the Eagles to the victory.

Royals notes -
3 stars were John Kleinhans, Griffin Hodges and Derek Diaz.

Soo Eagles win another one
By RANDY RUSSON, RR MEDIA SERVICE, October 23,2010

John Kleinhans made 28 saves and Robbie Payne scored twice as the visiting Soo Eagles defeated the Abitibi Eskimos 5-3 in Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League play before a Saturday night crowd of 674 at Jus Jordan Arena in Iroquois Falls.

The victory improved the Eagles record to 10-2-1 and was their second road triumph in as many nights, having clipped the North Bay Trappers 7-3 on Friday evening.

Robby Luke, Derek Diaz and Aaron Leonard, with his team-leading 12th goal of the season, also scored for the Eagles.
Rookie gunner Erik Robichaud paced Abitibi with two goals and veteran skater Josh Clancy potted the other.

The Eagles continue their road trip today at 2 p.m. when they play the Temiscaming Royals at Le Centre.

The Royals have a record of 8-3-1, best in the East Division, and are led by the high-scoring troika of Andre Leclair, Robin Mendelsohn and Cole Workman.

Soo Eagles win in North Bay
By RANDY RUSSON, RR MEDIA SERVICE

Soo Eagles began a three-game road trip on a winning note on Friday night in North Bay.

The Eagles improved their Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League record to an impressive 9-2-1 with a 7-3 triumph over the North Bay Trappers.

Aaron Leonard paced the Eagles with two goals and speedy Brian Depp had four assists.

Leonard now has 11 goals in 12 games on the season.
George Curry, Robbie Payne, Travis Payne, Joseph Duoba and T.J. Karavos also scored for coach Bruno Bragagnolo's Eagles, who visit the Abitibi Eskimos on Saturday night and the Temiscaming Royals on Sunday afternoon.

J.P. Kascsak, Sacha Guimond and Stan Smrke replied for North Bay.

-- for further game details read Ken Pagan's story at www.nugget.ca

Eagles Sweep Thunderbirds To Even “Border Battle” At 2 Games Each
October 16, 2010 Pullar Stadium, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

For the second night in a row, newly acquired Eagle goalie Jake Patterson stymied the Soo Thunderbirds, as the Eagles iced a 3-2 overtime victory.

Coming off a 3-1 victory the previous night, the Soo Eagles returned to the Pullar Stadium to face their cross river rivals, the Soo Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds would take a 1-0 lead in the closing seconds of the first period on a goal from Jerry Petingalo.

Clayton Brackett would tie the game at 11:03 of the second period, when he streaked up the left wall and snapped a high shot past the glove of TBird goalie Michael Doan, goal assisted by Sam Hadar and Jake Patterson.

A minute later Brian Depp went in on a clear cut breakaway, and bobbled a errant shot at TBird goalie Michael Doan, Aaron Leonard would find the rebound and make the score 2-1 at 12:06. The Eagles lead 2-1 to end the second period.

The Thunderbirds dominated the Eagles in the third period, and finally tied the score at 17:25 on a goal from Brian Nanne. Eagle goalie Jake Patterson was stellar, as the TBirds outshot the Eagles 16-4 in the third period.

The game went into overtime, and both teams had some nice chances. Eagles Travis Payne iced the winner at 03:53, assisted by Brock Raffaele. The crowd of 603 fans went crazy as the Eagles beat the TBirds, and have tied the “Border Battle” at two wins each. BOX SCORE

CLOSING NOTES
The Eagles now hit the road for three games next weekend against the North Bay Trappers, Abitibi Eskimos and the Temiscaming Royals. The Royals have been a real force in the early season and currently lead the Eastern Division of the NOJHL with 17 points in 12 games.

Eagle fans can catch all the road action, by going to www.fasthockey.com

Eagles Take Down The Thunderbirds To Tighten The Border Battle
October 15, 2010 Rhodes Centre, Sault Ste Marie, Ontario

The Soo Eagles played a confident game, in front of their newly arrived goalie Jake Paterson. Paterson stopped 40 of 41 shots enroute to a 3-1 Eagles victory.

The Eagles came out fast and opened the scoring at 01:16 of the first period with a goal from Joseph Duoba, assisted by Robby Luke and Eric Fletcher.

The Eagles would then mount a three goal lead in the second period. Chris Hoffman scored the game winner on a nifty play from Joseph Duoba, at 10:18. Brian Depp would then find the back mesh at 11:28, assisted by Aaron Leonard and Eric Fletcher. With the score 3-0, the Thunderbirds would mount pressure and TBird captain Jerry Petingalo scored a power play goal at 15:20 to make the score 3-1.

The third period was fast and furious, but new Eagles goalie Jake Paterson and TBird goalie Michael Doan stood tall and would not be beat. The score ended 3-1 for the Eagles, and the “Border Battle” now stands at 2-1 in favor of the TBirds. Action resumes tonight, Saturday, October 16, 7:30 at the venerable Pullar Stadium, get there early as it should be a full house. BOX SCORE

CLOSING NOTES
The Soo Eagles have added their first Canadian player, and he is certainly a nice addition. Goalie Jake Paterson, (6’1”, 175 lbs, b. 1994, Mississauga, Ontario) played last season for the Ontario Minor Midget Toronto Marlboros. During the 2010 OHL Cup he posted a 1.56 GAA in six games. Paterson was drafted by the Saginaw Spirit and he was the 32nd overall pick in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection.

With the duo of John Kleinhens and Jake Paterson between the pipes, the Eagles can utilize their overall team speed with total confidence, knowing the strength of their goaltending.

Eagle Split Back To Back Series With The Blind River Beavers
October 3, 2010 Staff Reporter

Friday October 1, 2010 Pullar Stadium, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan
The Blind River Beavers arrived at Pullar Stadium, Friday, Oct. 1. Looking to redeem a previous loss to the Eagles. The Eagles would jump out to an early lead, and then hang on for a 6-4 victory.

The line of Brock raffaele, Travis Payne and Robbie Payne jumped on the Beavers at the 00:54 mark of the first period when Raffaele scored the opener, assisted by Robbie Payne. At 08:22, George Curry scored, assisted by Aaron Leonard to pull ahead 2-0. Chris Hoffman scored the final goal of the period, assisted by Sam Hadar and TJ Karavos. The first period ended with the Eagles leading 3-0.

Aaron Leonard scored at 00:38 of the second period, assisted by Brian Depp and George Curry to put the score at 4-0. The Beavers would start to gain momentum when Nathan McLeod scored at 02:09. The Eagles would respond quickly at 03:31 when Matt Ragains scored the game winner at 04:03, assisted by Mike Orosey and Robby Luke.

The scoring spree continued and Beaver Tyler Stoller made it 5-2 at 16:54. Eagle Eric Fletcher made it 6-2 at 13:21, assisted by Brock Raffaele. The Beavers would answer again at 16:53 with a short-handed goal from Nathan McLeod. The period ended with the Eagles leading 6-2.

The third period saw the play swing to the Beavers and Eagle goalie John Kleinhans was stellar stopping numerous opportunities from the Beavers. Beaver Andrew Trecroce scored with 14 seconds left, to end the game at 6-4, in favor of the Eagles BOX SCORE
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Saturday, October 2, 2010, Blind River, Ontario, Canada
The Blind River Beavers carried over their third period momentum from the Friday encounter, and defeated the Eagle 7-3.

Cain Nolan opened the scoring for the Beavers at 01:07, before Eagles Aaron Leonard tied things at 3:27, assisted by George Curry and Brian Depp. The Eagles would take the lead at 18:42 on a power play goal from Brian Depp, assisted Aaron Leonard and George Curry. The period ended 2-1 in favor of the Eagles.

The second period was all Beavers and they scored four goals to pull into a commanding 5-2 lead. Two goals scored by Drew MacMillan, with singles going to Dereck Hurley and Brad Pascall.

Beaver Tyler Stoller made it 6-2 at 06:15 of the third. Brian Depp would score his second goal of the night at 09:58, assisted by George Curry. The Beavers would respond at 14:58 from Garrett Nystedt to put the score at 7-3, which held up until the final buzzer. BOX SCORE

CLOSING NOTES
There is a break in NOJHL action this weekend, as the NOJHL will send an All Star team from both the Western and Eastern divisions to the Governors Cup Showcase in Aurora, Ontario to face teams from the CCHL and the OJAHL. This should be great exposure for the NOJHL, as the showcase will be closely watched by scouts from all levels.

The Eagles will be represented by Nathan Glass, Derek Diaz, Aaron Leonard, Brian Depp, Travis Payne and Robbie Payne. The Eagles are proud to have these players selected to play for the NOJHL Western All Stars.

The Eagles return to action Friday October 15, 7:30 at the Rhodes Centre in Sault, Ontario to face the Thunderbirds. They then return Saturday, October 16, 7:30 at the Pullar Stadium, as the “Border Battle” continues.

Eagles Lose Round Two Of The Border Battle
Saturday, September 25, 2010 Pullar Stadium, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

The Soo Eagles ended their September schedule with a record of 5 wins , 1 loss and 1 overtime loss, and now sit in second place in the NOJHL Western Division. In round two of the “Border Battle” the Eagles dug themselves into a 4-1 deficit, before fighting back to take the game to overtime. For the second game in a row, Soo Thunderbird Captain Jerry Petingalo scored the overtime winner, as the TBirds won the game 6-5.

In a very spirited game, the TBirds took the early lead at 03:38 with a goal from Joel McCauley. The Eagles would tie the game at 06:22 when Brian Depp scored on a nice passing play from Aaron Leonard. But two minutes later former Eagle Joe Spitzer unleashed a rocket, that beat Eagle goalie John Kleinhans. The Eagles would replace Kleinhans with Aaron Beutenmiller. Beutenmiller made some solid saves for the remainder of the game.

With the score at 2-1 for the TBirds, the Thunderbirds would add two goals from Nick Romano and James Delayer, to pull into a commanding 4-1 lead. The Eagles would then claw their way back into the game, with a power play goal at 10:05 from Brock Raffaele, assisted by Travis and Robbie Payne. The Eagles would add another power play goal at 15:03 from Chris Hoffman, assisted by Brian Depp and Aaron Leonard. With the score 4-3, former Eagle Kevin Michelcavage scored a power play goal at 17:24, to close the second period at 5-3 in favor of the TBirds.

The third period saw some fast and furious play and the Eagles scored at 09:23 with a nice play from Mike Orosey to set up Joseph Duoba. With 43 seconds left on the game clock, Eagles Robbie Payne would take the game to overtime, goal assisted by Derek Diaz and Brock Raffaele.

The overtime frame saw TBird Captain Jerry Petingalo power his way to the front of the net and score the winner at 00:30, giving the TBirds a 6-5 victory. The “Border Battle”, and race for the Rollie King Cup now sits at 2-0, in favor of the Thunderbirds. BOX SCORE

CLOSING NOTES
With three overtime games registered this week in the NOJHL Western Division schedule, fans can look forward to some tight, spirited games as the season moves into October. The Eagle return to action next Friday, October 1, for a 7:30 game against the Blind River Beavers, at the venerable Pullar Stadium.

Eagles Defeat Blind River Beavers To Go Five Wins In A Row
Friday, September 24, 2010. Pullar Stadium, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

Coming off a tough overtime win this week against the Sudbury Junior Wolves, the Soo Eagles returned to the venerable Pullar Stadium for a weekend stand, starting with the pesky Blind River Beavers.

Over 500 fans would watch the Eagles skate off with a 6-3 victory in a fast-paced hockey game. The Eagles now have a record of 5 wins with 1 loss, and are tied with the Soo Thunderbirds for 1st place in the NOJHL Western Division.

The Eagles opened the scoring at 11:42 of the 1st period, with some patient work through the slot area by Aaron Leonard, who went top shelf to beat Beaver goalie David Lasher, goal assisted by Brian Depp and George Curry.

At 11:02 of the second period, Eagle Anthony Wolfe made the score 2-0, assisted by George Curry and Brian Depp. Less than a minute later, the Beavers set up a quick transition, and Grant Paulson went in alone on Eagle Goalie John Kleinhans. Paulson wired a high backhand shot past Kleinhans to put the score at 2-1. Beaver Josh Nardello would then tie the game 2-2 at the 13:09 mark, with a wicked shot from the high slot.

With the play swinging in the Beavers favor, Robbie Payne fed brother Travis Payne who took control on the low wall, before sliding a sweet pass to point man Derek Diaz. Diaz unleashed a cannon and the score stood at 3-2, to close out the second period.

The “Payne’s” would strike again at 01:34 of the third period, Robbie Payne fired home a one-timer, assisted by Travis Payne and Aaron Leonard. Eagle goalie Aaron Beutenmiller started the third period, replacing Ryan Leonard. Beutenmiller was hand-cuffed on a shot from Nathan McLeod at 02:33, to put the score at 4-3 Eagles.

Aaron Leonard would score his second of three goals at 04:51, assisted by Brian Depp and George Curry, on a textbook passing play that covered the entire ice. Leonard would score an empty netter at 19:03, to end the game 6-3 and get his hat trick. Leonard was named first star his efforts. BOX SCORE

CLOSING NOTES
The Western Division of the NOJHL looks to be very tight, and the Eagles, Beavers and Thunderbirds are very evenly matched. Each team has good speed and depth in their lineups, which is good for the league and even better for the fans.
The Thunderbirds land at the Pullar Stadium tonight (Sept. 25, 7:30), for round two of the “Border Battle”, get there early for the best seats. The feathers are sure to be flying!

Eagles Take An Overtime Win Over Junior Wolves, Get Ready For A Big Weekend At The Pullar.
Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2010 McClelland Arena, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

The Soo Eagles traveled to the McClelland Arena in Sudbury, to face the powerful Junior Wolves of the NOJHL East Division. In as very tight game the Eagles took the game 3-2 with an overtime goal by Eagle Derek Diaz
.
The Junior Wolves opened the scoring at 09:24 of the first period with a power play goal from Alex Serafini.

The Junior Wolves would pull ahead 2-0 at 16:15 of the second period, with another power play goal by Evan Daciuk. At 17:52 the Eagles pulled the score to 2-1 with a power play goal from Travis Payne, assisted by Brock Raeffaele and Robbie Payne. The period would end with the Junior Wolves leading 2-1.

At 01:44 of the third period, Eagle Anthony Wolfe tied the score at 2-2 with a power play goal assisted by Nathan Glass. Good end to end action ensued and both teams had quality chances, but were unable to score.

At 01:33 of the overtime period, Eagle Derek Diaz beat Junior Wolves goalie Alex Laino for the game winner. Both Laino and Eagles goalie John Kleinhans were stellar on the night. BOX SCORE

CLOSING NOTES
In other Wednesday night action the Soo Thunderbirds defeated the Blind River Beavers 3-2 in overtime. The Beavers arrive at the Pullar Stadium, for a 7:30 Friday night game and the TBirds will be at the Pullar, Sat. Sept 25, 7:30 to resume the “Border Battle”. Sault fans can look forward to two feisty hockey games, get there early for the best seats..

The Eagles thank all fans who entered the “Name the Mascot” contest, and Friday will be the final game for submissions. The winner of the mascot contest will be announced Saturday, September 25, between the first and second period of the Thunderbird game.

Soo Eagles Take Two Wins Over The Weekend
Sunday, September 19, 2010. Pullar Stadium, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

The Soo Eagles sit in second place in the NOJHL Western Division, with two decisive wins over the past weekend to put their record at 3 wins, 1 loss.

Friday, September 17, Abitibi Eskimos vs. Soo Eagles

Friday, September 17 the Eagles faced the defending NOJHL champions, the Abitibi Eskimos. The Eagles would take flight early in the game and Joseph Duoba opened the scoring at 01:03, assisted by Anthony Wolfe and Luke McCarthy.

The Eagles would then move ahead 2-0 at 09:17 when Brian Depp took a pass from George Curry, moved into the left low slot and fired 3 shots on Abitibi goalie Cameron McKinnon. MacKinnon stopped the shots, but the third rebound went to Aaron Leonard, who put it top shelf over the sprawled tender.

The Eskis would pull their goalie, but the eagles kept the momentum coming, and at 16:12 Matt Ragains would put the Eagles ahead 3-0, assisted by Robbie Payne and Mike Orosey. The period would end with the Eagles leading 3-0.

Brian Depp would get his second goal quickly in the second period at 00:22, assisted by Aaron Leonard and George Curry. Depp would add his third marker for the hat trick at 16:32 on a power play goal at 16:32 to put the score at a decisive 5-0 for the Eagles.

Things did get heated in the second period as the frustrated Eskimos started an altercation at 09:02, when Ryan Mercier pulled Eagles Robbie Payne’s helmet off and started a fight, Payne would respond and both players landed some good shots. Mercier was given an instigator on the play.

With the Eagles leading 5-0 to start the third period, Abitibi would score their first goal at 03:50 from Michael Fink. Soo Eagle Brock Raffaele would answer at 15:47, assisted by Travis Payne to put the score at 6-1. The Eskimos would turn up the heat and score two goals from Joel Roy and Jordan Delaurier to close the game out with the Eagles taking a 6-3 victory. BOX SCORE

Saturday, September 18, Manitoulin Islanders vs. Soo Eagles

The Soo Eagles would defeat the Manitoulin Islanders 6-0 to improve their record to three wins, one loss. The Eagles outshot the Islanders 45-44, enroute to the victory. Eagles goalie John Kleinhans was stellar on the evening for the shutout victory.

Robbie Payne had two goals for the Eagles, while single goals were scored by Chris Hoffman, Aaron Leonard, Eric Fletcher and Nathan Glass. BOX SCORE

CLOSING NOTES
The Eagles seem to be finding their stride and getting more in sync with each outing. The Eagles travel to Sudbury, Wed. Sept. 22, to face the Junior Wolves, before returning home for a weekend stand at the Pullar Stadium.

Next weekend the Pullar should really come to life, when the Blind River Beavers arrive Friday, Sept. 24, 7:30 for their first encounter with the new Eagles.

Saturday, Sept. 25, 7:30 the Soo Thunderbirds arrive for round two of the “Border Battle”. The TBirds won the first round by a score of 8-4, so the Eagles will be looking to avenge the loss. Get there early for the best seats at the venerable Pullar Stadium

Eagles Take Flight In Home Opener
Friday, September 10, 2010, Pullar Stadium, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

698 loyal fans were in attendance for the home opener of the Soo Eagles, Junior A hockey team and they were rewarded, as the Soo Eagles beat the North Bay Trappers 4-1 to take their home opener for the 2010-11 NOJHL season.

The Pullar Stadium has always been known as a great place to watch hockey, and this year the Eagles have taken it to another level of fun, entertaining hockey. The “Big Eagle” that launches players onto the ice was very well received by Sault area fans, and set the pace of excitement for the night.

Both teams came out strong in the early going, at 01:54 Eagle Brock Raffaele scored the opening, on a nice set up from Robbie Payne and Robby Luke. The Trappers then tied the score at 09:10 with a goal from D.J Wainman.

At 12:35 Eagle Joseph Duoba took a pass from Anthony Wolfe, fired it off the back wall, Eric Fletcher grabbed the deflection and fired the Eagles second (and winning) goal past Trapper Goalie Michael Mitchell to end the period with the Eagles leading 2-1.

The Trappers would replace Michael Mitchell in net with Mathieu Laberge who made some stellar saves in the final two periods. At 01:37 speedy Eagle Travis Payne scored his first goal of the night, assisted by Michael Orosey and Vincent Cafone. The period would end with the Eagles leading 3-1.

At 07:33 of the third period Travis Payne would score second goal, with a beautiful unassisted effort. With the score 4-1 the Trappers pressed hard to get back in the game, but Eagles goalie John Kleinhans denied every opportunity. Kleinhans was awarded first star for his efforts on the night. Travis Payne was given the games second star. BOX SCORE

CLOSING NOTES
With the lowest ticket prices in the NOJHL at only $7, Sault area fans, and especially younger fans can a have a great, affordable night out. New Eagles GM Bruno Bragnolo and staff are working hard to ice a fast, furious team and fill the old Pullar with the excitement this venerable rink and her fans deserve.

The Eagles return to action Friday Sept 15, 7:30 against the defending NOJHL champions, the Abitibi Eskimos, who are coached by NHL veteran Paul Gagne. The "Eskis" bring a disciplined game to the ice every night.

Saturday, Sept 18, 7:30 they host the much improved Manitoulin Islanders, under the guidance of former Philedelphia Flyer Reggie Leach.

Thunderbirds Clip The Eagles In The Season Opener.
Wed. Sept. 8, Rhodes Centre, Sault Ste Marie, ON

Following a nice opening ceremony, the race for the Rollie King Cup began at the Rhodes Centre in Sault, Ontario. Let the “Border Battle” begin… In the opening night of the NOJHL season, The Soo Thunderbirds took the night, and the game with an 8-4 victory. For the opening eight minutes the TBirds ran hard with a tight forecheck that kept the Eagles trapped in their own end with some very tight pressure.

Persistence paid off and at 03:17, a bad Eagle giveaway in the low zone lead to the first goal of the season by Thunderbird Brian Nanne. The TBirds controlled the opening 8 minutes of play.

At 08:51 of the first period, the Eagles found flight, and Anthony Wolfe pulled a nice shot from the high slot, Brett Sutton took control of the rebound and went low glove, to beat Michael Doan, and tie the game. Not to be outdone, TBird Captain Jerry Petingalo went to the left low wall, fed Kevin Michelcavage and bang, it was 2-1 for the TBirds to close the first period. Shots on goal 15-11 TBirds

The Eagles found a nice line in veterans Clayton Brackett, Aaron Leonard and Brian Depp. The trio made a sweet play to tie things at 05:44, goal by Aaron Leonard. With a good tempo building in the game, fans saw some real speed from both squads. At 11:56 TBirds went ahead 3-2 with a goal from Laurie Gieni. At 15:00, Brian Depp picked off an errant TBird pass and tied the score at 3-3, beating Michael Doan low blocker.

With the score tied 3-3, the Tbirds scored 18 seconds later, at 15:18 to pull ahead 4-3 with a goal from Lauri Gieni. At 16:17, former Eagle, Kevin Michelcavage scored his second goal to make the score 5-3. Nick Romano added another goal at to close out the second period at 6-3 in favor of the TBirds.

The Eagles ran into penalty problems in the third period, despite a solid effort by Eagle Clayton Brackett while killing a two man advantage, the TBirds added a power play goal at 10:28 to move ahead 7-3. The Eagles found some momentum and pulled the score to 7-4, when Travis Payne snagged a bad TBird clearing pass and went top shelf. TBird (and former Soo Indian) Gavin Burbach finished out the scoring to end the game at 8-4 in favor of the TBirds. BOX SCORE

CLOSING NOTES
Both teams showed good speed at times during the game, after clearing off some opening game jitters. Defensive errors in the deep zone cost the Eagles, and errant passes, combined with soft low zone coverage lead to many Thunderbird goals. TBird goalie Michael Doan took the win, with many solid saves. Eagle goalie John Kleinhans took the opening game loss.

The Eagles return to action this Friday, September 10, 7:30 when they have their home opener at the Pullar Stadium against the North Bay Trappers. The Trappers, like the Eagles, have undergone many management changes in the off-season. New Trapper GM, Chris Dawson has been building a solid team, and Eagle fans can look forward to some tough, gritty Junior hockey action, this Friday at the venerable Pullar Stadium.

Eagles Show Well In Trenton Against A Very Strong NAHL
Motor City Metal Jacket Team
Saturday, September 5, 2010, Trenton, Michigan

The new Soo Eagles Junior Hockey team faced some tough competiton this past weekend, but can walk away proudly after suffering two defeats against a very strong Motor City Metal Jacket team of the NAHL.

In the opening game of the two game series, Saturday, September 5, the Eagles were beaten 6-0. Following the loss the Eagles re-grouped for the second game of the series on Sunday afternoon

In the second game the Eagles went into the third period with the score tied 2-2. Eagles goals were scored by Travis Payne and Chris Hoffman. In a tight end to end battle the Metal Jackets scored with less than four minutes remaining to defeat the Eagles and take the 3-2 victory.

The Eagles will return home and use the experience to get ready for the opening game of the 2010-2011 season, when they cross the bridge to face their cross border rivals the Soo Thunderbirds, Wednesday, Sept. 8, 7:30 at the Rhodes Centre, Sault, Ontario.

Watch for the feathers to be flying Wednesday, Sept. 8, 7:30, Rhodes Centre as the new "Border Battle" begins

Soo Eagles Off To A Flying Start With Two Shutout Victories
Sunday, August 29, 2010, Big Bear Arena, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

Sault area hockey fans got a glimpse of the new Soo Eagles Junior Hockey team this past weekend, and fans should be excited. The new Soo Eagles showed a nice combination of speed and skill, as they dominated the Flint Junior Generals of the CJHL with two 10-0 shutout victories.

The opening game of the two game series, Saturday, August 28 saw the Eagles take an early 5-0 first period lead. An impressive display of speed and passing saw Matt Ragains, Vinny Cafone, Robbie Payne, Mike Orosey and veteran Brian Depp notch single markers for the Eagles.

Four other Eagles added single goals in the second period to put the score at 10-0 to close out the period. Aaron Leonard, Clayton Brackett, Brett Sutton and T.J. Karavos scored, with Matt Ragains adding his second goal of the game.

A scoreless third period saw the final game end in 10-0 shutout.

In the second game of the exhibition series, Sunday, Aug. 29, the Eagles again skated off with a 10-0 shutout. Another impressive scoring effort saw nine players add goals in the effort. Newcomer Anthony Wolfe had two goals, while single markers went to Mike Orosey, Brian Depp, Vinny Cafone, Adam Newkirk, Travis Payne, Joe Duoba, Brett Sutton and Nate Glass.

The Soo Eagles thank all fans who came out to see the new squad, and they thank the Flint Junior Generals for making the trek to the Sault. Although the Junior Generals suffered two losses, they are young team and GM Kelly Kronk has some young talent that should develop nicely.

The Soo Eagles travel to Trenton, Sept. 3, 4 to face the Motor City Metal Jackets of the NAHL. The Motor Jackets have a strong team, with a number of quality veterans returning.

Soo Eagles Will Host Flint Junior Generals At The Big Bear,
August 28th and 29th...ADMISSION IS FREE!!!

Sault area hockey fans can get a glimpse of the new Soo Eagles, when they host the Flint Junior Generals of the CSHL, Saturday, August 28th at 7:30pm and Sunday, August 29th at 12:00pm at the Big Bear Arena in Sault, Michigan.

There will be three games played throughout the weekend. Cross border rivals, the Soo Thunderbirds will play the Junior Generals on Saturday, August 28th at 1:30 pm. This should be a nice start to the 2010/11 season and admission to all games is FREE!!!

The Flint Junior Generals are members of the Central States Hockey League, which includes a total of 13 teams, Interesting to note that two former members of the Flint Junior Generals, Brad Scurfield and Tom McKenna played for the Soo Eagles in 2008-2009.

Soo Eagles Travel To Trenton, MichiganTo Face The Motor City Metal Jackets of the NAHL
The Eagles will continue their exhibition schedule when they travel to Trenton, Michigan to face the Motor City Metal Jackets of the NAHL, September 3rd and 4th. Times to be announced

Soo Eagles Change Hands, Get Ready To Take Flight For 2010-2011
Staff Writer, June 6, 2010, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

Soo area hockey fans can look forward to more great hockey at the venerable Pullar Stadium this coming season.The Soo Eagles, Junior A hockey team of the NOJHL are pleased to announce the transfer of the team to a new owner. As well as having new owners, the Soo Eagles have a new Coach and GM. Bruno Bragagnolo will lead the Eagles into the new season.

The transfer of the team met unanimous approval this past weekend, when the annual general meeting of the NOJHL was held in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

Bragagnolo is a seasoned coaching veteran with the Chicago Young Americans of the MWEHL (Mid West Elite Hockey League), where he has coached at various levels including the U18 major squad with the Young American organization. Interesting to note that former Soo Greyhound, Dave Maciuk is the director of the Young Americans organization.

Bragagnolo has been instrumental in the development of numerous hockey players, most recently he coached Alex Galchenyk, who was the #1 draft in the OHL this year, going to the Sarnia Sting. The Young Americans also sent Nathan Glass to the Erie Otters and Jared Rutledge to the Saginaw Spirit, Rutledge will playing this year for the National Development team in Ann Arbor.

The humble Bragagnolo has received praise from countless players that have moved on to all ranks of hockey, including the USHL, CHL, NCAA and NHL ranks. He is very well respected by his players, both as a coach and a mentor.

Eagle coach Paul Theriault is very happy with the new look to the Eagles. “We wanted to bring junior hockey back to Sault, Michigan and the Pullar. We are confident the Eagles will now move forward with a solid foundation.” He states and added, “the people of Sault Michigan have been very supportive of the Eagles and we hand over the team with a clean slate. Sault hockey fans should be extremely excited”

Bragagnolo has known Theriault for some time and when he heard of the Eagles possibly changing hands, he was excited by the possibility. Bragagnolo is no stranger to the Sault and area. He played for the Elliot Lake Vikings of the old International Junior league against the Soo Indians, when Paul Theriault was the coach. Bragagnolo’s nephew Rock Einersen also played for the Eagles in the 2008-2009 season, and Einersen speaks very highly of his time in the Sault.

”Sault Ste Marie has a great hockey tradition, the Pullar Stadium is as much a shrine and museum for hockey as it is a great arena. The Eagles have a strong core in place and we will build on that. We want to help players to develop, and offer the fans of the Eagles some entertaining hockey. We are here for the players, fans and the community”, states Bragagnolo.

Bragagnolo will take up residence in Sault, Michigan for the coming season, with the support of a very strong organization. The new coach and GM will begin to put the pieces together for the upcoming season, combining local talent with dedicated players from across North America.

Bragagnolo is also excited about becoming part of the Sault Ste Marie community, “We are here for the fine people of Sault Ste Marie, we also wish Paul Theriault all the best, and we look forward to seeing him around the rink, he is truly a hockey legend”

Eagles Assistant Coach Dennis Bolton will stay on with the new team, “Dennis has a great passion for the game and will be an invaluable resource”, adds Bragagnolo.

The Soo Eagles will hold their first tryout camp June 18-20, 2010 at the Taffy Abel Arena in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. A second camp is set for Canton Michigan, July 9-11 at the Arctic Edge Ice Arena.

Soo Eagles Plan To Restructure

Staff Writer, May 3, 2010, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan

With the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League 2009-2010 season finished, the Soo Eagles are making plans for next season.

Eagles team owner/coach Paul Theriault said that the team plans to "restructure" as the organization prepares to move ahead into its third year of operation. Theriault says he has some personal medical conditions which require his attention, and he may need to play a lesser role with the Eagles.

"Either way, we are moving forward for next season," Theriault said. "We already have our summer tryout camps set, starting June 18th at the Taffy Abel arena, and things are very positive"

A tryout camp will be held in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, at the Taffy Abel on June 18, 19, 20. Another tryout camp is scheduled in Canton, Michigan on July 9, 10, 11.

The Eagles completed their second year in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League. The Eagles finished third in the NOJHL Western Division, but upset the No. 2-seeded Blind River Beavers four games to one in a quarterfinal playoff series. It was a big improvement from their first season, and they hope to build on that improvement heading into the 2010-2011 season..

In the Western Division playoff finals, the Eagles' season ended with a 4-game series sweep against the Soo Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds outscored the Eagles 26-5 in the series.

"We played well against Blind River, and were happy to get through the first round," Theriault said. "Then we went right into the series against Soo Thunderbirds and got off to a slow start.

"I have to give the Thunderbirds credit," Theriault said. "They kept the pressure on us and never gave us a chance to regroup. They (Thunderbirds) played very well. There were also some terrific games in the finals between them and the Abitibi Eskimos."

Both The Thunderbirds and the Eskimos represented the NOJHL in the 2010 Dudley Hewitt Cup. The Dudley Hewitt Cup is the Central Canada Jr A championship, which was held at the Essar Centre, April 20-24, in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario Canada. (See story below)

Theriault said he is commited to bring the Eagles back to Pullar Stadium for the 2010-11 season.

"We had a young team, and may have 10 to 15 players back for next year," Theriault said. "We're still commited to bring in as many Sault, Michigan, players as we can. I think there are several upcoming Sault players who can play at this level."

LIVE SCOREBOARD DUDLEY HEWITT CUP CLICK HERE



SOO EAGLES MEDIA GUIDE 2011

For more information on the Soo Eagles Junior A Hockey team, click on the image above to view our 2011-2012 media guide

NOJHL FINALS: EAGLES V. JR. WOLVES
Randy Russon- April 1st, 2011

Soo Eagles and Sudbury Jr. Wolves will face off in a best-of-seven playoff series for the 2010-11 NOJHL title and a spot at the Dudley Hewitt Cup, Central Canada playdowns later this month.

The Eagles upset the regular-season champion Soo Thunderbirds in six hard-fought games after earlier disposing of the Blind River Beavers in five.

The Jr. Wolves are fresh from sidelining the Abitibi Eskimos with relative ease in five games after beginning the playoffs with a four-game sweep of the Temiscaming Royals.

Vast experience at both the NOJHL and Ontario Hockey League levels gives Sudbury an immediate edge over the Michigan Soo in the championship set.

Former Oshawa General Nick Esposto has been a terror in the playoffs with 11 goals to date.

Of considerable note, Esposto, Evan Daciuk, Mathieu Lecours, Jayce Douskey and former OHLer Zach McGllis have combined for a whopping 38 goals in nine playoff games.

Sudbury’s defence is also top notch led by former OHLer Luc Comtois and NOJHL defenceman-of-the-year Joel Gagnon.

Goaltending is in capable hands with Alex Laino having gone 8-1 with a .907 save percentage and 2.60 goals against average thus far in the playoffs.

Even Sudbury’s coach has OHL experience. Bryan Verreault is a former associate coach and head coach with the OHL Sudbury Wolves.

The Eagles, while not as experienced or overall talented as the Jr. Wolves, have reputation as a hard-working, well-conditioned, well-coached outfit.

The Michiganders have an 8-3 record throughout the playoffs and of note, are 4-1 on the road.

Coach Bruno Bragagnolo‘s Eagles have good balance and a number of players who can score including captain Aaron Leonard, his linemate Brian Depp and rookies Brock Raffaele, Robbie Payne and Travis Payne.

Derek Diaz and 1994 birth year rookie Nathan Glass are among the leaders on the Eagle blueline.

Another 1994 birth year rookie — goalie Jake Patterson – has had an outstanding playoff with a 7-2 record, .932 save percentage and 2.28 goals against average.

Of note, Paterson has had to make 55 more saves than his Sudbury counterpart Laino in almost identical number of minutes played in these playoffs.

The Eagles will have the home-ice advantage in the series, for what that may be worth.

Much has been said about the level of officiating in the Michigan Soo. But the way I see, Michigan Soo referees are no worse (or no better) than referees on the Ontario side of the International Bridge.

PREDICTION: Based on age and experience, I’m going to take Sudbury to win in six games. But as I said when I picked the Thunderbirds to beat the Eagles in the last series, it would not surprise me in the least if the Michiganders upended the Jr. Wolves.

DIVISION 1 INTEREST

Sources say that two players from the Eagles and another from the Thunderbirds will be offered commitments to play Divison 1, National Collegiate Athletic Association hockey come the 2012-13 season.

Eagles defenceman Nathan Glass is being wooed by Mercyhurst while winger Brock Raffaele is being followed by soon-to-be D1 school Penn State. And Northern Michigan is hot on the trail of Thunderbirds goalie Michael Doan.

All three could play the 2011-12 season in the NOJHL before going D1 in 2012-13.

ON AIR

Radio station AM 1400 WKNW will broadcast the home games of the Eagles in their series with the Jr. Wolves. Dave Watson will call the play-by-play and I will be the colour commentator.

Eagles Win the Rollie King Cup for the 2010 2011 Season

The Soo Eagles have won the Rollie King Cup, by a very tight margin.

The Rollie King Cup is presented to the winner of the twelve regular season games between the Soo Eagles and the Soo Thunderbirds.

The teams could not have been more evenly matched, and the Eagles won the race by having 15 total points, while the Thunderbirds had 13.

Hockey Hall of Famer Pat Lafontaine Will Drop Opening Puck Wednesday, Feb 23

The new Soo Eagles are gearing up for the playoffs and it should be a great finish to the season.

Hockey Hall of Famer, Pat Lafontaine will be a special guest of the Soo Eagles on Wed. Feb 23, when they face the Soo Thunderbirds.

It will also be a "White Out Wednesday" as the Eagles ask you to wear your whites. The event is in conjunction with the Diane Pepplar Resource Center

Soo Eagles Receive National Ranking With CJHL

The new Soo Eagles are the first American team to recieve a National ranking with the CJHL.

After an undefeated December, the Eagles have gone 13 wins and only 3 losses in 2011, including being undefeated in February. That not only puts the Eagles in first place in the Western Division of the NOJHL, but puts them ranked 19th in the CJHL National rankings.

The Soo Thunderbirds also recieved Honorable mention.

Soo Eagles Show Their Character
“A Cappella”

In our sporting culture it seems unlikely that a team would make a lasting impression portrayed as having “such harmony, “such class”! But that’s how the Soo Eagles were described by many who witnessed an unforgettable moment in the McClelland Arena in Copper Cliff on January 26th, during an away game with the Sudbury Junior Wolves.

A young lady stood on the blue line preparing to sing both the American and Canadian National Anthems. If you have ever been asked to sing a few bars of a song, or answer a “skill testing question” you know that sometimes, “brain freeze” occurs. It happens to the best, and can render you incapable of thinking or remembering, even though you know the song or the words.

Unfortunately the soloist on that particular evening found herself in that predicament during the American National Anthem.

The Soo Eagles’ players spontaneously took over and their anthem, a contemporary “a cappella” group! They sang with 110% passion that sent a signal of solidarity and fighting spirit to the opposition, and showed they were up for winning. Fans were impressed by the team’s unprompted display of both national and team pride.

The young lady joined the team near the end of the anthem, and carried on to sing the Canadian Anthem. We applaud her courage and determination to persevere, and appreciated her father taking the time to express his thanks to the team for helping his daughter to continue.

Although a young team, the Eagles have earned their place in the NOJHL by demonstrating their hard work and grit to make it “their team”.

Under the Eagles enthusiastic coaching the players’ confidence in themselves and in each other is showing!

Border Battle Resumes Friday December 17th With A Tribute To Paul Theriault

Soo Eagles fans can catch game nine of the Border Battle, this Friday Dec. 17, 7:30.

The Eagles will also be having a tribute to the man who brought Junior A hockey back to the Pullar, Mr Paul Theriault.

Sunday Soo Fans can catch the speedy Temiscaming Royals in actions, for a 2 pm game.

Soo Eagles Receive Honorable Mention In The CJHL National Rankings

The new Soo Eagles have received their first mention in the CJHL (Canadian Junior Hockey League) National Rankings.

After defeating the Soo Thunderbirds back- to-back this past weekend the team is proud of the accolades of the CJHL.

The Thunderbirds are currently ranked #10 in the CJHL Rankings.

Ian Pozzebon Wins The Name That Eagle Contest, It's Eddy!

The new Soo Eagles thank the over 50 fans that submitted names for our new mascot. A short list of names was announced to fans at the Sept. 25 game and the fans responded loudest to "EDDY".

Congratulations to Ian Pozzebon for his suggestion and the Eagles hope you enjoy your seasons tickets, team jersey and hat.

Soo Eagles Seasons Tickets Available For Pickup This Weekend

Soo Eagles fans who purchased seasons tickets can pick them up at this weekends games against the Abitibi Eskimos and the Manitoulin Islanders. Go to the comp/ticket table to pick up your seasons pass.

Brian Depp and Aaron Leonard Return For 2010/11

The new Soo Eagles are very pleased to announce the return of veterans
Brian Depp and Aaron Leonard for the upcoming season.

The speedy Brian Depp (FW, B: 91, 6'0" 168 lbs) had 22 goals and 39 assists for 61 points in the 09/10 season.

The crafty Aaron Leonard (FW, B: 90, 5'8" 175 lbs) lead the Eagles team in the 09/10 season, with 22 goals and 45 assists for 67 points.

Both Depp and Leonard were members of the NOJHL All Star team last season. Coach Bruno Bragagnolo is very pleased to have these fine veterans back for the up coming season.

Eagles Alumni Adam Phillips Signs With UMass
June 14, 2010

Adam Phillips has proved himself as a hard working player, with lots of talent.

The 6'6" Phillips has signed a letter of intent, and will be going to the UMass Minutemen, NCAA D1 for the 2010 Season.

The Eagles wish Adam great success with the Minutemen. He is the first player in Soo Eagles history to move on the the NCAA D1 ranks.

The UMass Minutemen play in the highly competitive Hockey East Conference, which also includes the 2010 NCAA National Champions, the Boston College Eagles.

Hard Working Eric Cox Moving On To Adrian College

Eric Cox, a Wyoming, MI native and member of the 2009-2010 Soo Eagles recently committed to Adrian College for 2010-2011 season.

Wearing number 7 jersey, Cox combined his fine defensive skills with some good offensive output. Cox had 19 goals and 32 assists this season, and helped the Eagles to the second round of NOJHL play offs by scoring four times against the Blind River Beavers.

Eric, who is a team player working hard on and off the ice, will be a great asset to Adrian College,. Adrian College, founded in 1859 is located in Adrian Michigan.

Adrian Bulldogs compete in 24 sports including NCAA men’s hockey, ACHA men’s division 1 hockey and ACHA men’s division 2 hockey.

The Soo Eagles wish Eric great success at Adrian.

Eagles Thank Participants in Taffy Abel Tryouts
June 22, 2010

The new Soo Eagles thank all players who participated in their first tryout camp, at the taffy abel arena in Sault, Mi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EUP News Has Great Previews of Dudley Hewitt Cup and Eagles Articles

Scott Nason and Don Suppa have been on top of the Eagles as they took flight in the 2010-2011 NOJHL season.

The Eagles thank both of them for their thorough journalism and great insights into the Eagles.

Click on their EUP logo above for great coverage as the Eagles try to advance to the RBC Cup.

Eagles Soar With The Help Of Volunteers

Now that our regular season has come to an end and the play-offs are in full swing, the Soo Eagles would like to pay tribute to some very special people who have tirelessly helped their team over the season and now into the play-offs.

We obviously cannot mention all the wonderful volunteers who are responsible for making the team what it is today, but I will try to profile a few in order to give you some incentive to read further.

It is early Friday evening, the cold winter winds blowing snow with a wind chill factor of -20. Most folks are staying out of the wrath of winter, but our dedicated Eagle volunteers are coming to the Pullar Stadium – it’s Hockey Night!

It usually begins around 5:30 p.m., more than two hours before the Eagles take to the ice at 7:30 p.m. and ends some time around 11:00 after the players leave the dressing room.

Paul and Jeannie spend hours upon hours at the rink getting ready for practices and games – keeping the dressing room clean, washing sweaters and towels at their own home, managing the equipment and even making sandwiches for post-game snacks for the players on a road trip.

Rich and Selina can be counted on to help with the office administration, as well as sending in post-game reports and pictures to the League, while Tania and Tim look after Fast Hockey. Larry and Scott call the play-by-play action.

Brian’s in charge of the Eagles Nest, while game night activities are taken care of by Amy -- merchandise sales, intermission events, and volunteer community activities for the players.

Michael and Rebecca challenge the boys at dryland, producing aches and pains for even the most fit!

Doc and Kari look after the players “aches and pains” while Jeff S. mans the bench to make sure the team has fresh water and towels.

Tom keeps an eye out for promising new “stars”, while finally we have our coaches, Bruno and Dennis – 7 days a week, helping the boys to play the game. They demonstrate that contributing to the dreams of their players and to the community is just as important and equally satisfying as playing the game.

The Soo Eagles want to say thank you to those who make our game possible.

Eagles Recieve Awards and All Star Recognition

The new Soo Eagles are pleased to announce their Bruno Bragagnolo has been named NOJHL Coach of the Year, as well as being named the coach of the first all star team and manager of the second all star team.

Other Eagles that were honored are Aaron Leonard and Derek Diaz, who were named for the first all stat team. Speedy Brian Depp was named to the second all star team. Congratulatios to these well deserving Soo Eagles.

Eagles Team With Uniting Three Fires Against Violence For A Teddy Bear Toss

The new Soo Eagles are asking fans to bring a Teddy Bear to the last game of the season on Friday, Feb 25, 7:30. Fans can also purchase a Teddy Bear at the game.

All Teddy Bears will be donated to those less fortunate or those in need of emotional support.

It's a great way to end the year and to help others

NOJHL ROUNDUP
Birds, Eagles, Beavers win at home on Saturday

By RANDY RUSSON, MIKA MEDIA

First place in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League will go down to the final two games of the regular season between the Soo Thunderbirds and Soo Eagles.

The Twin Soo teams both won at home on Saturday to remain in a first place tie with 75 points apiece.

The Eagles will play host to the Thunderbirds this Wednesday and Friday nights with both games slated for Pullar Stadium in the Michigan Soo.

As the Birds and Eagles scored home-ice wins on Saturday, so too did the Blind River Beavers.

THUNDERBIRDS 4 ABITIBI 2
Defenceman Brad Pascall scored twice and Kevin Michelcavage and Brian Nanne scored singles for the Birds, who honoured 20-year old captain Jerry Petingalo in a pre-game ceremony.

Petingalo, the Thunderbirds all-time points leader, was presented with a framed team jersey. It was also announced that Petingalo's No. 9 will be retired after this season and that no Thunderbird will ever wear it again.

Erik Robichaud and Chris Gartner scored for the Eskimos.

EAGLES 9 MANITOULIN 1
The line of Robbie Payne, Travis Payne and Brock Raffaele went on a scoring spree in front of more than 450 fans at the Pullar.
Robbie Payne scored five goals, giving him 38 on the season. Travis Payne chipped in with two goals and four assists and Raffaele had five assists.

Aaron Leonard and George Curry also scored for the Michiganders.
Amit Grummet-Morris replied for the lowly Islanders.

BLIND RIVER 4 SUDBURY 2
David Lasher made 29 saves and defenceman Brad Langford had three assists to spark the Beavers, who got goals from Justin Erhart, Drew MacMillan, Lorne Miller and Soo product Andrew Trecroce. Former Ontario Hockey Leaguer Nick Esposto had both goals for the Jr. Wolves.

Soo Eagles Home Games Are Now Broadcast Live With FastHockey.com

Soo Eagles fans everywhere can now keep up with the Eacles action. Scott Nason will now be doing the play by play on www.fasthockey.com.

Soo Eagles Final Training Camp, August 20-22

The Soo Eagles will hold their final training camp (coaches invitation only)

Register
August 20, 5:30-6:30 Skate Times
August 20, 6:30-7:30, August 21,11-12:30, August 22, 1:00-2:30

Big Bear Arena, Sault Ste Marie Mi. Eagle fans are welcome to come out and watch.

Michael Doan Traded to the Thunderbirds

6'4" goalie Michael Doan has been traded to the Soo Thunderbirds. Doan who had a 4.67 GAA with an .887 SV% in the 2009-10 season, has gone to the TBirds and his Sault Ontario home after requesting the trade.

With the Doan leaving and Ryan McAleese moving on, that leaves two spots open for Canadian players on the Soo Eagles.

With Bruno Bragagnolo and the new Eagle organization in place, the Pullar would be a great place for two players from Sault, Ontario.

Former Eagle Brad Scurfield Awarded Freshman Of The Year at Lawrence University

Lawrence coach Mike Szkodzinski was very happy when they recruited former Soo Eagle Brad Scurfield. "We expect Brad to use his speed and instincts to create turnovers. He has displayed a willingness to go into heavy traffic areas during his junior career-and will need to do the same in order to be a regular this season".

Scurfield did not disappoint and was awarded freshman of the year for his efforts.

In 21 games with the Lawrence Vikings, Scurfield scored 7 goals and added 5 assists for 12 points, while taking the award honors.

Despite overcoming 2 serious injuries, Scurfield scored 20 goals and added 20 assists for 40 points in the 2008-09 season with the Soo Eagles. Brad was always a solid, hustling player with good hockey sense.

A quality member of the Eagles, both on the ice and off, the Eagles wish Brad much success with a promising future.

Six Soo Eagles Enjoyed Their All Star Game

The NOJHL honored six Soo Eagles by naming them to the Western All Star game.

Brian Depp, Aaron Leonard, Ryan McAleese, Anthony Raymond, Michael Doan and John Kleinhans all enjoyed their trip to Temiscaming in Québec Canada on January 2, 2010.

In a close faught battle Team East beat Team West 6-5. The Eagles members had a great time with all players from all the teams.