Soo T-Birds ready for battle at national playoff
Soo T-Birds ready for battle at national playoff
The champions of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League play the best Canadian junior ‘ A ‘ hockey teams in Estevan, Saskatchewan.
Just a week after winning the NOJHL championship, the Soo Thunderbirds are now in Estevan, Sk. for the Centennial Cup.
“There was no Dudley Hewitt Cup, the Central Canadian Junior A Championship, this year. So this is great that the winner of the NOJHL goes directly to the Centennial Cup,” said Rob Mazzuca, NOJHL Commissioner.
“The Soo Thunderbirds are a terrific team. They reeled off 26-straight wins at one point.”
The T-Birds faced an uphill battle in the NOJHL final, losing the first three games, before coming back to win four consecutive games against the Hearst Lumberjacks.
“They had an incredible five weeks,” said Mazzucca.
“They had hot goaltending, and that’s what you need to get to the nationals, and the T-birds got that. It’s probably the hardest fought series I’ve seen in 11 years.”
Mazzuca said the Thunderbirds are a resilient team. And, he believes they stack up well against the competition at the national level.
“They knew what it would take to win, and kept on going against Hearst. This is going to be a great event for the T-Birds because this is a short-term tournament.”
“By the way, the Soo is the youngest team at this tournament and they’re going to have fun.” said Mazzuca
As to who might win the Centennial Cup?
“The Soo Thunderbirds rank in the top 20 in the country, but the odds on favourite is the Brook Bandits from Alberta, and then you have the Summerside Western Capitals from Prince Edward Island.“
The Soo Thunderbirds lost their first game Thursday against the Flin Flon Bombers by a score of 6-1.
The T-Birds play the Summerside Western Capitals from PEI Friday at 6 P.M.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway.
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Have you been removed from your family doctor’s patient list for visiting an Ontario walk-in clinic?
Some Ontarians are expressing frustration after they said that they were removed from their family doctor’s patient list for visiting a walk-in clinic in a process being called “de-rostering.”
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.