With his team down five goals heading into the third period, Jeremy Adduono told his team to win the final 20 minutes.
They listened.
Though they didn’t quite complete the comeback, falling 8-5 to the first-place Fort Frances Lakers on home ice on Wednesday night, the Thunder Bay North Stars showed when their mindset is right, they can compete with the SIJHL’s best.
The defeat, as it turns out, was irrelevant in the Stars chase for third, after Dryden downed English River 8-3 to banish Thunder Bay to fourth place and a first-round play-in series against the aforementioned Miners.
But with the Lakers (42-11-2) looming in Round 2 should the North Stars (27-24-4)advance, finding any slice of momentum in the penultimate game of the season can be considered a win, Adduono said.
“Down 7-2 after 40 is never easy. So we came in (the dressing room) and we knew there wasn’t much we could do to change that. The only thing we could do, and our goal was to go out and win the third period and we did that,” Adduono said.
“I commended our guys for the effort. We had some hunger and maybe built a little momentum and put a scare in them.”
North Stars captain Mathias Gardiman, who scored once and chipped in three assists, said the third was all about building a little confidence.
“We wanted to battle back and see what we could do. We stuck to our game plan and just got pucks in deep and got pucks on net and banged away to see what we could do, which was good because we won the third and we have momentum going into the playoffs,” said Gardiman, whose 22nd goal of the season moved him past Jordan Smith into seventh place on the North Stars all-time goal-scoring list with 71.
“It was just a couple of slips. Everything is fixable. I’m not too impressed maybe with the second, but the boys battled hard in the third.”
With the exception of Kenny Turner’s redirection of a shot from the point, the second belonged to the Lakers, who chased North Stars starter Eric Mann after a pair of goals just 46 seconds apart by MVP hopeful Lucas DeBenedet and Bowen Alcock.
Adduono questioned both goals.
“Definitely looking at the video and from my point of view, their player closed his hand on the puck and walked around our guy, which is really not allowed. So I’m not sure how that was missed. And then we’re going on the rush and Jesse Taylor is tripped at the blue-line and they go down and score,” the second-year coach said.
“For me that’s the turning point.”
The Lakers weren’t any friendly to replacement goalie Nathaniel Dupuis, scoring twice in 17 seconds. David Pryde, an affiliate player, scored his fourth in five appearances at 12:55, followed by a Mile Nolan tally that made it 6-2 at 13:12.
A.J. Kapcheck, who lifted the puck the length of the ice late in the third for an empty netter, had three assists in the period.
The Stars found their offence in the final frame, Ryan Walsh blasting a shot through traffic that touched nothing but twine. Gardiman struck on the power play at 15:49, then defenceman Tim Cavar potted his second of the night to pull Thunder Bay within a pair.
But the Stars couldn’t capitalize on a late-game power play that ended the comeback bid.
Thunder Bay closes out the regular season Friday night at Fort William Gardens against Minnesota.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Fort Frances, Chorney (Nolan, Jasper) 6:04. 2. Fort Frances, DeBenedet (Chorney, Cota) 11:50 pp. 3. Thunder Bay, Cavar (McQueen, Gardiman) 15:02. Penalties: Minerva FF (holding) 7:52, Belisle TB (checking to head, misconduct) 10:15, Walsh TB (elbowing) 15:34. Chorney FF (holding) 16:41, Kapcheck FF, Nigro TB (roughing) 17:23.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 4. Fort Frances, Debenedet (unassisted) 2:47, 5. Fort Frances, Alcock (Antonini, Kapcheck) 3:33. 6. Thunder Bay, Turner (Taylor, Walsh) 7:17. 7. Fort Frances, Pryde (DeBenedt, Kapcheck) 12:55. 8. Fort Frances, Nolan (Kooner, Kapcheck) 13:12. 8. Fort Frances, () 16:14 pp. Penalties: Taylor TB (instigator, fighting major, game misconduct), Vela FF (fighting major, game misconduct) 15:14, Pryde FF (tripping) 16:27, Siau TB (cross checking) 16:43.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 10. Thunder Bay, Walsh (Gardiman, Turner) 5:35 pp. 11.Thunder Bay, Gardiman (Nigro, Turner) 15:49 pp. 12. Thunder Bay, Cavar (Walsh, Gardiman) 17:07 pp. 13. Fort Frances, Kapcheck (Antonini, Dushenko) 18:17 sh en. Penalties: Schultz FF (interference) 5:10, Antonini FF (holding) 7:09, Cavar TB (elbowing), Chorney FF (roughing) 9:52, Minerva FF (roughing) 14:25, Chorney FF (checking to head, misconduct), Siau TB (misconduct) 15:49, Dushenko FF (slashing, served by Pryde) 17:07, Turner TB (cross checking) 19:01.
GAME DATA – SOG – Fort Frances – 15-23-9-47, Thunder Bay 13-14-15-42; Power plays (goals-chances) – Fort Frances (2-3), Thunder Bay (3-6); Goaltenders – Fort Frances: Pierce Dushenko, Thunder Bay: Eric Mann (24 shots, 20 saves), Nathaniel Dupuis (3:33, second); A: 200.
