OLIVER PAIPOONGE – Vern Ray’s Kam River Fighting Walleye coaching debut was a success.
A night after parting ways with former coach Matt Valley, the Fighting Walleye erupted for six goals and doubled up the visiting Sioux Lookout Bombers 6-3.
Six different goal scorers lit the lamp for the Walleye, starting with Euan Morrison first-period tally, the lone goal of the opening frame.
Max Buffone and Max Leduc upped the home side’s lead to 3-0 with goals 28 seconds apart in the second, only to have Sioux Lookout’s Tegan Neuman and Lucas Trimarchi beat Eric Vanska 1:24 apart to close the gap to 3-2.
A last-minute Jack Cook restored a two-goal lead for Kam River before the second period ran out.
Logan Gallaher and Mackenzie Sedgwick sandwiched Neuman’s second of the night in the third, Sedgwick’s goal coming with the Fighting Walleye down a man.
Vanska was good on 34 of 37 shots, while Sioux Lookout’s Jake Manners stopped 46 of 52.
The Fighting Walleye improved to 12-4-1, their 25 points nine more than second-place Dryden, which has played five fewer games.
Sioux Lookout dropped to 8-5-0 in their expansion season, tied for third with Red Lake. The Miners (7-6-2) picked up a win on Saturday night, thanks to Andrew Benedetti’s game-winner midway through the third period of their 3-2 road win over Wisconsin.
