Timmins Rock goalie Frédéric Cousineau takes a drink during one of the TV timeouts in Game 4 of their NOJHL best-of-seven quarterfinal series at John Rhodes Community Centre, Wednesday night. Cousineau made 36 saves to backstop the Rock to a 3-2 double overtime win over the Thunderbirds, evening the series at 2-2. Photo by SUBMITTED /NOJHL Network
Best-of-seven series deadlocked at 2-2 heading into Game 5 at the McIntyre Arena, on Friday, at 7 p.m.
Thomas Perry
The Daily Press/Postmedia Network
SAULT STE. MARIE — Edan Etheridge’s 5:24 into the second overtime period lifted the Timmins Rock to a 3-2 win over the Thunderbirds at John Rhodes Community Centre, Wednesday night.
The victory tied up their NOJHL best-of-seven quarterfinal series at 2-2, with Game 5 scheduled for the McIntyre Arena, on Friday, at 7 p.m.
It also gave the Rock back home-ice advantage in the series.
“What a battle, what a game,” said an emotionally drained Rock coach and general manager Brandon Perry, following the contest.
“(Rock goalie) Frédéric Cousineau was fantastic tonight and he gave us every chance to win this game. Listen, he is our MVP. He has been so big for us and he has played great this series.”
Timmins Rock’s Cousineau named to NOJHL’s First All-Star team
Cousineau has been building upon a regular season that saw him share the Wayne Chase Memorial Award, for best goals against average, with Greater Sudbury Cubs netminder Matthew Vahramian, and be named to the NOJHL’s First All-Star team.
The back-and-forth contest saw the Rock draw first blood 4:37 into the second period, as Nolan Masson scored his first goal of the playoffs.
Aiden Atkinson’s second goal of the playoffs, 2:13 into the third period, got the Thunderbirds back on even terms.
But Victor Hourtouat’s first goal of the playoffs, just 20 seconds later, restored the Rock’s advantage.
That lead held up until late in the period when Deven Jones-McDonald struck for a power-play marker, his third goal of the playoffs, to make it a 2-2 hockey game.
Following a scoreless first overtime period, Etheridge netted his first goal of the playoffs in the second overtime period to earn the Rock a split of the two games played in Sault Ste. Marie.
All three Rock goals came off the stick of players not normally counted upon to put the puck in the net.
“You need that in the playoffs,” Perry said. “You think back to when we won it (2023 NOJHL champions). We were just talking about this, as a staff, you need guys to step up. Every game, it is always somebody different.
“Your stars, your top-end guys, are getting tough matchups, especially on the road. The year we won it, it was Lowesy (Lucas Lowe), Ryno (Hayden Rynard) and Beardo (Thomas Beard).
“Tonight, it was Eades (Etheridge) getting us a big one. That line, we needed it to happen, guys to step up all up and down our lineup.
“Victor Hourtouat is another guy (who stepped up). He hadn’t been in the lineup all series and he came in here and made an impact. I love it. I am so happy for him.”
Of the three goal scorers, Masson is the most experienced and has had some playoff experience prior to the start of this series, back in 2023, with the French River Rapids.
“That was a beautiful shot from Nolan, to get us going,” Perry said.
GM3: Thunderbirds hold on to edge Timmins Rock in Soo
The Rock blue-line stepped up big time in Game 4, especially late in the contest.
“Our D corps was fantastic,” Perry said. “(Ben) Hugessen was playing hurt and we had an AP (affiliate player) in the lineup in Liam Major (of the GNU18L’s New Liskeard Cubs), doing what he could, but we essentially played with four D out there tonight.
“The game got tight late in the third period and then we lost (Jack) Quevillon at the end of the first OT and we were just so thin back there, but they just battled their butts off. They worked so hard and they took a beating all night. Those guys must be exhausted.”
Captain Braedyn Cyr, Brady Bouchard and Ben Climenhaga were the other blue-liners who logged heavy minutes down the stretch.
“I am just so happy for them,” Perry said. “They deserved to win this game, because they just left it all out there.”
GM2: Timmins Rock roll over Thunderbirds to even series at 1-1
It was even more challenging for Hugessen and Major, since they had sat for a lengthy period of time and then had to step back into the battle late in the contest.
“It is extremely hard to sit on a bench for 20 or 30 minutes and then be needed to go out in the most high pressure situation of the season, but they handled it well,” Perry said. “They did a really good job.”
The Rock blue-line might get a boost in time for Game 5 at the McIntyre Arena, on Friday.
Perry indicated Matthew Kim, who has been out of the lineup since March 1 with an upper-body injury, might be ready to suit up.
“He got his cast off today,” Perry said.
Kim (48, 12-25-37, 31) enjoyed a solid regular-season campaign that earned him an NOJHL Third All-Star team selection.
GM1: Soo Thunderbirds take down Timmins Rock in overtime
While the goal was to win both games in Sault Ste. Marie, Perry will take the split and seeing his squad regain home-ice advantage.
“We came here to win two games, but obviously our goal was to at least get a split,” he said. “We didn’t play good in Game 3. We had a really slow start and dug ourselves a hole, just like Game 1, and then we just didn’t tie it up late. We had our chances, played a good third period.
“Today, it’s obviously never a must win. Coaches say that a lot, this is a must win, this is a must win, but it is never a must win until your season is on the line. But this is as close as it gets.
Cousineau, who stopped 52 of the 54 shots he faced, picked up his second win of the 2026 playoffs.
Thunderbirds goalie Nathan Maguire, who turned aside 48 of the 51 shots the Rock directed his way, was tagged with the loss.
NOJHL NOTES — The three stars of the game were Cousineau (52 saves, win), Maguire (48 saves) and Etheridge (game-winning goal) … The Rock were 0-2 on the power play, while the Thunderbirds were 1-3 with the man advantage … Official attendance at the John Rhodes Community Centre was 241 … Wednesday’s other action saw the Eagles edge the Powassan Voodoos 3-2 in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., to sweep their series 4-0 and the Hearst Lumberjacks outscore the Paper Kings 8-7 in overtime in Espanola to sweep their series 4-0 … The Rock will return to action on Friday when they host the Thunderbirds in Game 5 at the McIntyre Arena, at 7 p.m.
