SPOONER, Wisc. – You can’t keep a good team down for long.
Coming off two losses in a three-game stretch, the Kam River Fighting Walleye found themselves trailing the Thunder Bay North Stars 4-1 seven minutes into the second period on Tuesday, the opening game of the SIJHL Showcase in Spooner, Wisc.
That’s as good as it would get for the fourth-place North Stars.
The Fighting Walleye (28-4-2), the class of the SIJHL for most of the season, poured it on in the final half of the game, scoring five straight to edge their cross-community rival 6-4.
Carson Gorst, who scored twice, Holden Woodcroft and Jeremy Dunomore scored over a 6:46 span in the middle stanza to even the game 4-4, and captain Zach Fortin potted his ninth of the season with 1:47 to go in overtime, the power play goal sealing the win for Kam River, technically the home team for the matinee match.
Ethan Lang added an empty netter.
Dunmore had a pair of assists for a three-point game.
Kam River goaltender Tyler Blazino made 40 stops in his third appearance for the Fighting Walleye to pick up the win, his second SIJHL victory.
Pier-Luc Bellard had a pair for Thunder Bay, with singles going to drew Cado and Lou Vesperini, who also recorded a three-point game.
Trennis Riley took the loss for the North Stars (16-13-3), stopping 48 of 53 Kam River shots.
Dryden takes on Fort Frances and Wisconsin plays Red Lake in the other games of the day.
