Riley Corbin’s a journeyman if there ever was one in junior hockey.
The Thunder Bay North Stars goaltender might have found a home. Well, at least for one season.
Corbin, whose career stops have included stints with the Plymouth Whalers, Trail Smoke Eaters, Whitecourt Wolverines, Dauphin Kings and finally a 20-minute audition last season with the Lakehead Thunderwolves, made 39 saves Wednesday night to lead the North Stars to a 6-3 win over the previously unbeaten Fort Frances Lakers (3-1-0).
It was Thunder Bay’s first win of the season.
Corbin, a Thunder Bay native, stood tall in the third, the Lakers pressing to keep their three-game winning streak alive to start the Superior International Junior Hockey League season, stopping all but one of the 17 shots directed his way in the final stanza.
Corbin wouldn’t take credit, giving that to the players in front of him blocking shots and clearing bodies from in front of his net.
The 20-year-old, filling in for an injured Eric Mann , expected to miss four to six weeks with a hand injury, said there was one key difference at Fort William Gardens on Wednesday night – the return of a pair of veteran bodies.
“We were maybe missing a couple of pieces we were able to get with (Brad) Thrower and (Joe) Newhouse. It’s a long season and a young team we have, so it was a matter of being patient. The goals weren’t coming in the first couple of games,” Corbin said.
“But there were chances, there were spurts of it. It was signs to be optimistic and today we were fortunate the bounces went our way.”
It always feels good as a goalie to see the goals start to pile up in your team’s column.
Rookie Jake Robinson, a late-round pick last spring of the OHL’s Ottawa 67s, scored twice, both times answering an earlier Fort Frances tally, including the go-ahead goal in the first that put the North Stars in front for good, 2-1 at the time. They chased Fort Frances goalie Pierce Dushenko on Kris Hamlin's second-period tally, their third goal and 17th shot of the night, replaced by Brandon Bodnar.
Brad Arabia, Avery Siau and Jared Fanti also scored for the North Stars (1-3-1).
“You never want to totally exhale, but it is a little bit of a comfort and you play with a little more confidence when you have a little breathing room. It’s an awesome feeling,” Corbin said.
First-year coach Gary Wenzel, in just his second home game of the season, said the goaltending was solid from start to finish.
So far, he likes what he sees from Corbin.
“He’s so calm in that net. His rebound controls are excellent. He’s like a third defenceman back there at times. You can see the way he handles the puck and reads the forecheck. He dumps the puck down on the penalty kill at times,” Wenzel said.
“He’s just a key piece of our puzzle that we’ve added here along with Mann and (Tyler) Lesschaeve, we’ve got the best goaltending in the league, I believe.”
Getting the win was huge said Robinson, equally pleased at getting his first two SIJHL goals.
“It’s a good feeling, especially getting them at home and just getting the monkey off my back and saying it’s time to get the season rolling,” said Robinson, held to just one assist in his first four games after scoring 20 a year ago with the Thunder Bay Midget Kings.
The defending SIJHL champion Lakers goals came from Julian Uhryniuk, who tied the game 1-1 on the power play in the first, Andrew Willner, who cut the gap to one in the second, and Dylan Robertson, who beat Corbin on the man advantage for the game’s final marker.
Star gazing: The North Stars next home game is Oct. 9 against the English River Miners. They head to Ear Falls to take on the Miners for three starting Thursday night.
First period
Scoring: 1. Thunder Bay, Arabia (Wesley-Chisel) 0:55. 2. Fort Frances, Uhryniuk (Kooner, Chorney) 9:45 pp. 3. Thunder Bay, Robinson (Hamlin) 10:27. 4. Hamlin (Tighe, Wesley-Chisel) 12:15. Penalties: Robinson TB (holding) 1:40, Bench Minor TB (too many men, served by Nigro), Hamlin TB (hooking) 13:03, Fortin TB (slashing) 13:50, Gazich FF (tripping) 17:24.
Second period
Scoring: 5. Fort Frances, Willner (Tymkin) 1:00. 6. Thunder Bay, Robinson (Nigro, Fanti) 5:04. Penalties: Minerva FF (tripping) 2:30, Robinson TB (tripping) 8:45, Tymkin FF (boarding) 14:10, Minerva FF (slashing) 18:35, Hamlin TB (slashing) 18:42.
Third period
Scoring: 7. Thunder Bay, Siau (Nigro, Turner) 8:15. 8. Thunder Bay, Fanti (Thrower) 15:59 pp. 8. Fort Frances, Robertson (Willner, Kooner) 18:15 pp. Penalties: Nigro TB (roughing) 10:11, Bosman FF (boarding) 14:04, Chorney FF (cross checking) 14:51. Newhouse TB (Newhouse) 15:42, Tighe TB (roughing) 16:47, Tymkin FF (elbowing) 18:24.
GAME DATA – SOG – Fort Frances 15-10-17-42; Thunder Bay 12-15-14-41; Power plays (goals-chances) – Fort Frances (2-7), Thunder Bay (2-6); Goaltenders – Fort Frances: Pierce Dushenko (17 shots, 14 saves), Brandon Bodnar (12:15, first period), Thunder Bay: Riley Corbin; A: 200 (estimated).
