THUNDER BAY – The Thunder Bay North Stars have taken a stranglehold on their best-of-seven first-round playoff series, but the job is only half done.
The Stars knocked off the visiting Wisconsin Lumberjacks 9-0 on Saturday night to claim a 2-0 series lead.
There’s still plenty of work left to do to get the other two wins they need to advance, said Stars rookie-of-the-year candidate Easton Mikus, who topped all Superior International Junior Hockey League freshmen with 31 goals, scoring the game’s opening goal just 19 seconds after the opening faceoff.
A little over two minutes later Tyler Jordan doubled the Thunder Bay lead, burying a wrist shot from the left circle.
“Last night we knew we didn’t give our best effort,” said Mikus, who scored twice and added a helper in the shutout win.
“We knew we had more in us. Coach woke us up before the game, for sure, and we gave it all we had. It turned out well.”
The quick start was key to helping erase the memories of Friday night’s opener, that saw the North Stars jump in front 4-1, only to find themselves in a 4-4 tie when the third period began and in need of some late heroics to pull out a 6-4 win.
“Last night we knew we didn’t give our best effort”
North Stars coach Rob DeGagne said his team demonstrated a much better 60-minute effort in Game 2, including a pair of power play goals and a shorthanded effort by Alex Remenda early in the third, his first of two on the night.
“I thought we played more consistent,” DeGagne said. “We played a little bit more playoff hockey tonight. We had good stretches yesterday, but then we fell asleep and they capitalized. We probably made it harder on ourselves than we needed to. Tonight, I thought it was a more complete effort.”
Unlike Friday, when the North Stars took their foot of the gas, it was pedal to the medal for all three periods in Saturday’s rematch.
They took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission then poured on the offence in the second, scoring four times to break open the game and douse any thoughts the outmatched sixth-place Lumberjacks might have had.
Beau Helmeczi upped the lead to 3-0 2:52 into the second, catching Wisconsin goaltender William Forrester going the wrong direction.
Connor Larrett made it 4-0 at the 12:15 mark of the second, and just 24 seconds later Edison Weeks, who led the SIJHL points parade with 75 in the regular season, notched his first of the postseason. Tyler Jordan, who was later ejected for a hit from behind, wrapped up the scoring in the middle stanza.
Mikus and Remenda, with a pair, rounded out the North Stars offence in the third.
Goaltender Ben Laurette, who was on the bench on Friday, stopped 37 Lumberjacks shots to earn the shutout, including a flurry of standout saves on a last-minute power play as Wisconsin looked for something to build on for Game 3, which they’ll host on Monday night in Rice Lake, Wisc.
“Honestly, there was a lot of drama that went on at the end of yesterday’s game and there were a lot of frustrated players,” Weeks said, his teammate Sam Skillestad forced to sit out with a one-game suspension.
“As an organization we were frustrated coming into the rink today, so I think (Wisconsin) definitely felt the wrath of it. It’s not a team you want to (tick) off in the playoffs.”
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Thunder Bay, Mikus 2 (Paddington, Larrett) 0:19. 2. Thunder Bay, Jordan 2 (Anton, Weeks) 2:05. Penalties: Anton TB (interference) 10;23, Mikus TB, Gulden WIS (roughing) 16:44,
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 3. Thunder Bay, Helmeczi 3 (Tangedal) 2:52. 4. Thunder Bay, Larrett 1 (Mikus, Dial) 12:15. 5. Thunder Bay, Weeks 1 (Remenda) 12:39. 6. Thunder Bay, Jordan 3 (Sheriff, Caddo) 15:29 pp. Penalties: Helmeczi TB (unsportsmanlike conduct) 2:52, Rapp TB (cross checking), Fowler WIS (unsportsmanlike conduct), Postal WIS (cross checking), Sheriff TB (roughing), Corcoran WIS (roughing), 13:53, Remenda TB (unsportsmanlike conduct) 15:29, Malkowski WIS (hit to the head, game misconduct, Jordan TB (checking from behind, game misconduct) 17:55.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 7. Thunder Bay, Mikus 3 (Paddington, Buffone) 1:51 pp. 8. Thunder Bay, Remenda (Weeks, Beazley) 5:36 sh. 9. Thunder Bay. Remenda 2 (Weeks, Dial) 14:36. Penalties: Postal WIS (holding) 0:29, Buffone TB (slashing) 4:09, Bear TB (roughing) 15:33, Tangedal TB (cross checking) 17:21, Anton TB (hooking) 18:39.
GAME DATA – SOG – Wisconsin 14-12-11-37, Thunder Bay 14-15-13-42; Power plays (goals-chances) – Wisconsin (0-4), Thunder Bay (2-4); Goaltenders – Wisconsin: William Forrester, Thunder Bay: Ben Laurette; A: 467.
