THUNDER BAY – After 21 minutes of play, the Fort Frances Lakers looked like a beaten team.
Someone forgot to tell Dylan Kooner and Jared Virtanen.
Outshot 20-6 in the first period, but only down a goal, the fifth-place Lakers quickly gave up another in the opening minute of the second.
But staring down a two-goal deficit, the visiting Fort Frances squad buckled down, took advantage of a lucky bounce and fought their way back, ultimately prevailing 5-4 over the Thunder Bay North Stars, a second straight win over the No. 2 team in the Superior International Junior Hockey League.
Kooner would score twice and add an assist, while Virtanen scored once and dished out three helpers, raising his league-leading total to 52.
Nicholas Nigro and Jonathan Master had a pair apiece for Thunder Bay, who slipped to 27-15-5, maintaining a four-point cushion over third-place Thief River Falls, who now hold a game in hand over the North Stars.
“When we’re down, or even if we’re up by one, our top guys have to step up and try to keep the lead or get another goal to give us a boost,” said Virtanen, whose cousin Jake has spent time with the Vancouver Canucks.
It’s a character win, he added.
“We just looked back at our last week here, winning on Hockey Night in Canada, beating (the Stars) on Sunday. We looked at ourselves after the first period and we knew we had more. We knew we could come out stronger and the team pulled it together,” said Virtanen, whose 74 points are the second best total in the SIJHL.
Nigro scored the game’s first two goals, his 29th and 30th of the campaign.
But it was Julian Uhyriniuk who was the game-changer.
The Lakers forward blasted a shot off the end boards that caromed straight into the back of North Stars goalie Jordan Elliott’s skates and into the net, the unlikely power-play goal coming at 4:32.
Ten minutes later Kooner tied the score, making a quick move in alone on Elliott for the equalizer. He’d pot his 30th of the season on a wraparound just 44 seconds into the third. Virtanen doubled the Lakers lead on a breakaway at the midway point of the final period.
Masters made it a 4-3 game with 6:29 to go, but 55 seconds later Matt Tustin restored the two-goal lead. Masters would add one more goal with 2:42 to go, blasting a slap shot that just found its way under the crossbar behind Fort Frances goalie Brandon Bodnar, who made 35 stops on the night.
“I thought we dominated the first period and probably could have been up a few more,” said North Stars coach Jeremy Adduono. “Even at the start of the second I kind of liked our game, thought we maybe had a push to maybe be up more than two goals.
“It was a bad break on their first goal, but those things happen and we have to learn to regroup on that. The second goal was just laziness by the five guys that were out there for us. It should have never happened.”
The Stars return to action at home next Tuesday against the Minnesota Iron Rangers.
Star gazing: Thunder Bay’s Tyler Minoletti and Fort Frances’ Tanner Garnham were tossed for fighting in the third.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Thunder Bay, Nigro 29 (Masters, Robinson) 3:43. Penalties: Bench minor TB (too many men, served by Robinson) 1:02, Storm TB (roughing) 5:04, Gustafson FF (charging) 13:27, Tustin FF (tripping) 18:35.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 2. Thunder Bay, Nigro 30 (Thrower, Newhouse) 0:47.3. Fort Frances, Uhryniuk 8 (Gazich, Gustafson) 4:32 pp. 4. Fort Frances, Kooner 29 (Bernie, Virtanen) 14:46. Penalties: Minoletti TB (roughing) 3:08, Nigro TB (cross checking) 15:56.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 5. Fort Frances, Kooner 30 (Virtanen, Tustin) 0:44.6. Fort Frances, Virtanen 22 (Kooner, Bernie) 10:00. 7. Thunder Bay, Masters 5 (Thrower, Gillis) 13:31. 8. Fort Frances, Tustin (Zajicek, Virtanen) 14:26. 9. Thunder Bay, Masters 6 (Thrower, Walsh) 17:18. Penalties: Uhryiniuk FF (tripping) 1:09, Leishman TB (tripping) 6:22, Virtanen FF (interference) 7:31, Garnham FF, Minoletti TB (fighting major, game misconduct) 13:25, Lynes FF (high sticking) 17:42.
GAME DATA – SOG – Fort Frances 6-9-8-23, Thunder Bay 20-7-12-39; Power plays (goals-chances) – Fort Frances (1-5), Thunder Bay (0-4); Goaltenders – Fort Frances: Brandon Bodnar, Thunder Bay: Jordan Elliot; A: 200.
