THUNDER BAY – Maybe 13 skaters isn’t such an unlucky number after all.
Sporting just a baker’s dozen skaters on Friday night, the Thunder Bay North Stars snapped out of their three-game slide in fine fashion, catching the fourth-place – and almost equally undermanned – Red Lake Miners in the Superior International Junior Hockey League standings, downing them 5-2 in front of 395 at Fort William Gardens.
Nikolas Campbell had a pair of second-period goals and completed the hat trick early in the third, giving him 10 goals in 12 games since re-signing with the team.
Meanwhile, forward Demitri Trahiotis snapped a 12-game goal-less streak, tossing an imaginary monkey off his back after beating Miners goalie Jack Orchard with just over four minutes remaining in the middle stanza.
The North Stars win leaves the two teams with identical 18-16-4 records.
“It’s a huge win for us,” said Campbell, who plays on the Stars top line alongside Edison Weeks, who earned assists on all three of his goals, and Jamie Fuchs, who evened the score 1-1 on the power play in the final minute of the first.
“We want to get a good position in the playoffs. Thirteen guys, it was definitely tough, but good on us for working hard and getting through it.”
Weeks, whose parents made the trek to Thunder Bay to catch the action at the Gardens, said it was exhausting, but satisfying to come out with the win.
“Absolutely,” he said. “We’ve been playing shorthanded a lot this season, so guys are starting to get used to it, for sure. I’m happy to say we’ve got a lot of good guys who take care of their bodies pretty well and if we are injured, we’re going to be back in a couple of games and things are going to be rolling.”
It was the visiting Miners who were rolling to start Friday night’s contest.
Riley See, playing just his fifth game with Red Lake, beat Conner Lemeiux at the 11:55 mark of the first, a rarity on a night that saw the North Stars netminder turn aside 48 Miners shots.
After Fuchs tied things up before the first-period horn sounded, Red Lake defenceman Jonah DesRosiers put the visitors back on top just 2:03 into the second, stealing the puck from Thunder Bay captain Matthew Halushak deep in his opponent’s zone.
But the celebration was short-lived.
Campbell knotted the score at two just 14 seconds later on a scramble in front of Orchard and Thunder Bay took the lead for good on his second of the night, seconds past the midway point of the middle frame.
Trahotis doubled the Thunder Bay lead five minutes later and Campbell completed the hat trick at the 3:44 mark of the third, going high on Orchard’s short side from a tough angle.
Things weren’t over just quite yet.
Halushak, who led the North Stars coming into play with 109 penalty minutes, was assessed a major and a game misconduct at 9:10 of the third, leaving Thunder Bay with just three defencemen dressed and down to 12 skaters.
More distressing in the moment, they faced a 92-second two-man disadvantage, but Lemieux stood tall despite a barrage of Red Lake shots to preserve the win. Halushak is expected to be suspended for Saturday’s rematch.
Thunder Bay coach Rob DeGagne said the Miners didn’t have it much better from player standpoint.
“They had 14. Both teams were short guys, there’s no doubt. I give the kids credit. They worked hard for 60 minutes. It’s going to be a slower game maybe tomorrow night, for both teams. But we played well,” DeGagne said.
Puck drop on Saturday night is 7:30 p.m.
Kam River 5, Dryden 3: Jack Cook scored once and added two assists as the Fighting Walleye knocked off the second-place Ice Dogs on the road. Max Leduc and Ethan Lang had a goal and an assist apiece for Kam River.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Red Lake, See 1 (Crysler, DesRosiers) 11:55. 2. Thunder Bay, Fuchs 8 (Halushak, Campbell) 19:18 pp. Penalties: Campbell TB (cross checking) 6:02, Glousher TB (high sticking) 9:51, Tanton RLM (tripping) 17:50.
SECOND PERIOD|
Scoring. 3. Red Lake, DesRosiers 4 (unassisted) 2:03. 4. Thunder Bay, Campbell 8 (Weeks, Halushak) 2:17. 5. Thunder Bay, Campbell 9 (Fuchs, Weeks) 10:06. 6. Thunder Bay, Trahiotis (Paddington) 15:44. Penalties: Pileggi RLM (tripping) 4:47, DesRosiers RLM (slew footing double minor) 11:07, Anton TB (slashing) 18:42, Skillestad TB (roughing) 20:00.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 7. Thunder Bay, Campbell 10 (Weeks) 3:44. Penalties: Unrau RLM (hooking) 5:59, Skillestad TB (hooking) 8:42, Halushak TB (check from behind major, game misconduct) 9:10, See RLM (cross checking) 13:42.
GAME DATA – SOG – Red Lake 16-12-22-50, Thunder Bay 14-14--41; Power plays (goals-chances) – Red Lake (0-5), Thunder Bay (1-6); Goaltenders – Red Lake: Jack Osmond, Thunder Bay: Conner Lemieiux; A: 395.
