The home cooking advantage had to give way at some point.
Unfortunately for the Thunder Bay North Stars, it chose the final three minutes of the third period on Saturday night.
Dylan Robertson scored twice, including an empty-netter with 15 seconds to go, and snapped the North Stars six-game home-ice winning streak at six as the Fort Frances Lakers prevailed 5-3 in Superior International Junior Hockey League play at Fort William Gardens.
The Stars had fought back from an early two-goal deficit, only to have the Lakers retake the lead on Christian Ripley’s third-period tally – then tied it up again on Jesse Talkoski’s fourth of the season.
There was no miracle on this night for the Stars, who stole a regulation win the night before from the English River Miners when Kris Hamlin fired the puck off the draw into the net with less than a second left to play.
“We played a couple of decent periods, within reason, but in the third period we totally ran out of gas. They dominated us in the third period. We were running around in the defensive zone. We looked like we were out of shape, tired,” said coach Gary Wenzel. “They’re skilled and they made us look silly. In the defensive zone we were chasing and puck watching. The right team won tonight.”
The Lakers may lead the SIJHL standings, but Saturday’s triumph was their first win in three outings in Thunder Bay this season.
“This was a big game for us, a big test,” said Fort Frances coach Wayne Strachan.
“I thought for the most part we answered the call, especially in the third. But it would be nice to come into the rink and play a solid 60 minutes just to see what we could do. But that team, they work hard, they don’t give up and Riley Corbin keeps them in hockey games and gives them a chance to win.”
Corbin made 38 saves and almost kept the go-ahead goal out late in the third, sprawling across his crease to stop Cole Tymkin’s point-blank shot.
But the down side of the acrobatic save was a juicy rebound and a wide open net. The puck caromed right to Robertson’s stick, who tucked it into the twine for what proved to be the game-winner.
Julian Uhryniuk and Tymkin staked the Lakers to a 2-0 lead in the first, but Christian Ward cut their advantage in half with five minutes to go, backhanding the puck past Fort Frances goalie Pierce Dushenko.
Hamlin evened the score midway through the second, the only goal of the period.
The teams traded goals in third before Robertson’s first of the night. The Stars Cashen Tighe found the puck at his feet alone in front of Dushenko with less than two minutes remaining, but was unable to get his stick on the rubber and instead kicked the puck in the net.
The officials, who gave the Lakers six power-play opportunities to just two to the North Stars, immediately waved it off.
Corbin was pulled with just over a minute left, but the Stars turned the puck over in the Fort Frances zone and Robertson, his team playing shorthanded, lifted it the length of the ice into the open net to put the game away.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Fort Frances, Uhryniuk 3 (Bosman, Ripley) 5:11. 2. Fort Frances, Tymkin 4 (Robertson) 14:22 pp. 3. Thunder Bay, Ward 2 (Goettlicher, Muir) 14:44. Penalties: Thrower TB (interference) 0:34, Bench minor TB (too many men, served by Hamlin) 6:58, Garnham FF (kneeing) 9:50, Fanti TB (tripping) 13:21, Wesley-Chisel TB (holding) 16:14.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 4. Thunder Bay, Hamlin 9 (Fanti, Tighe) 10:29. Penalties: Chorney FF (high sticking), Talakoski TB (slashing) 2:21, Wesley-Chisel TB (cross checking) 8:06, Chorney TB (high sticking) 13:27, Ward TB (tripping) 16:40,
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 5. Fort Frances, Ripley (Roblin, Uhryniuk) 6:57. 6. Thunder Bay, Talakoski 4 (Arabia) 13:33. 7. Fort Frances, Robertson 11 (Tymkin, Willner) 17:00. 8. Fort Frances, Robertson 12 (Bothron) 19:45 sh en. Penalties: Minerva FF (roughing) 19:34.
GAME DATA – SOG – Fort Frances 13-13-0-0, Thunder Bay 12-12-0-0; Power plays (goals-chances) – Fort Frances (1-6), Thunder Bay (0-2); Goaltenders – Fort Frances: Pierce Dushenko, Thunder Bay: Riley Corbin; A: 75 (estimated).
