OLIVER PAIPOONGE – The Kam River Fighting Walleye are fighting for every point they can get.
Entering Monday’s matinee contest against the visiting Thunder Bay North Stars, the Fighting Walleye were three back of the first-place Sioux Lookout Bombers and one up on the Stars.
The game delivered as promised.
Each team took the lead on two separate occasions, but a strong third period finish is what delivered a 5-3 win for the Fighting Walleye, who had to turn away about 25 would-be spectators lined up to watch the Family Day affair when they hit capacity at the Norwest Arena.
Riley Borody, Ryan Doucette and Jeremy Dunmore scored three unanswered goals to close out the contest, after E.J. Paddington had swung the momentum back the North Stars way, potting his 23rd of the season just 32 seconds into the final frame.
Doucette, who scored what proved to be the winner, said it was a hard-fought victory.
“It was a team effort win. We couldn’t have done it without our goalie. Everyone contributed, all four lines, all the d-pairings. It felt like a playoff game out there. It was packed and we came together, went through the highs and lows and got it done,” said Doucette, who has 15 goals and 36 points in 33 games this season.
The game-winner came just 81 seconds after Paddington’s go-ahead goal, on a delayed penalty call against the North Stars.
“It was all Evan Lachimea, my line-mate, to be honest,” Doucette said. “He drew a penalty, got me the puck from his knees and I just finished it off from there. That was all Evan, his hard work getting me that puck there.”
Thunder Bay took its first of two leads early in the first, Alex Remanda finding a hole past Kam River goaltender Austin Sadauskas, who stopped 43 of 46 North Stars shots in the game, the goal coming at 7:41 of the first.
The lead held for just under eight minutes when Lachimea, acquired in January from the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Steinbach Pistons, took a couple of whacks at the puck in front of Thunder Bay goaltender Keenan Marks and banged it home.
The Stars started the second period with a 1:53 power play, though a mistake in the penalty box set Easton Debray free a few seconds earlier, a mistake caught by the officials who sent him back to the box to serve out the remainder of his time.
Jacob Sargent, after a bad clearing attempt by Thunder Bay, sent a low shot through traffic, the puck eluding Marks, and the Fighting Walleye had a 2-1 lead 1:53 in. Remenda evened things up at 14:44 on a one-timer from the slot and the two teams were tied 2-2 after 40 minutes.
Paddington had a nice solo effort down the right boards, before cutting through the middle and depositing the puck into the Kam River net, but Borody fired high on Marks, the puck appearing to dip slightly on its way to the net, and the game was tied again.
Three-and-a-half minutes later the Fighting Walleye jumped in front for good.
“I think our group got better, period by period. We probably didn’t have our best in the first. We were kind of grinding our way through it, but that when we challenged our group to have a better second.”
North Stars coach Rob DeGagne said it wasn’t the outcome he and his staff were looking for, but he’s not upset at the effort.
“It was a good hockey game, back-and-forth. Either team could have won the game,” he said.
The Fighting Walleye host Fort Frances on Friday and Saturday night. Thunder Bay travels to Red Lake for two this coming weekend.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Thunder Bay, Remenda 7 (Helmeczi, Dial) 7:41. 2. Kam River, Lachimea 3 (Mintenko, L. Bell) 15:29. Penalties: J. Sargent KRW (cross checking) 0:45, Lachimea KRW (misconduct) 15:29, Debray KRW (hooking) 19:53.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 3. Kam River, J. Sargent 2 (Fagnilli) 14:25. 4. Thunder Bay, Remenda 8 (Trahiotis) 14:44. Penalties: Skillestad TB (slashing) 6:33, Dial TB (cross checking) 11:19, Fagnilli KRW (hooking) 16:51.
THIIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 5. Thunder Bay, Paddington 23 (Voisey) 0:32. 6. Kam River, Borody 14 (L. Bell) 1:53. 7. Kam River, Doucette 15 (Lachimea) 5:35. 7. Kam River, Dunmore 23 (unassisted) 19:55 en. Penalties: J. Sargent KRW (holding) 3:18, Skillestad TB (head contact, misconduct) 8:17, Caddo TB (roughing) 11:03, Dunmore KR (interference) 12:56.
GAME DATA – SOG – Thunder Bay 18-12-16-46, Kam River 16-18-21-55; Power plays (goals-chances) – Thunder Bay (0-5), Kam River (0-4); Goaltenders – Thunder Bay: Keenan Marks, Kam River: Austin Sadauskas; A: 893.
