Soo Eagles soar above .500
Three straight wins — two over the Espanola Express and another via the Elliot Lake Wildcats — have lifted the surging Soo Eagles to within two points of the third-place Soo Thunderbirds in the West Division of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
The trio of triumphs puts the fourth-place Eagles above the .500 mark with a record of 11-10-3 at the 24-game mark of the schedule.
Of note, workhorse goalie Shane Brancato was in net for two of the Eagles wins from the productive weekend. The veteran Brancato now has a record of 9-8-1 to go with a .922 save percentage and 2.77 goals against average.
Meanwhile, Eagles rookie goalie Ryan Gilmore posted a shutout in the weekend win over Elliot Lake. Gilmore now has a 2-2-2 record with a .910 save percentage and 3.19 goals against average.
And Eagles rookie forward Jacob Bumbaco scored his first NOJHL goal in one of the wins over Espanola. Bumbacco, who hails from the Canadian side of the International Bridge at Sault Ste. Marie, was playing in just his eighth game of the season after twice being sidelined with a shoulder injury.
PHOTO: Soo Eagles goalie Shane Brancato makes a save in a weekend win over the Espanola Express.
