THUNDER BAY – Nicholas Nigro and the Thunder Bay North Stars don’t know the meaning of the word quit.
Nigro, second in the Superior International Junior Hockey League scoring parade, netted his 16th goal of the season 2:19 into overtime on Saturday night to help the North Stars compete their comeback from two goals down and eke out a 3-2 win over the visiting Dryden Ice Dogs.
One word the home side might want to study up on is discipline.
The North Stars doled out 10 power play opportunities to the Ice Dogs, who were unable to capitalize, including a lengthy two-man advantage in the second as a parade of players filed their way to the penalty box.
“Hats off to our penalty kill. They won us that game for sure,” said Nigro.
North Stars coach Jeremy Adduono bit his tongue when asked about the number of power plays awarded to both sides – his team scoring once in eight man-advantage opportunities.
“Obviously getting though those penalties was the difference,” Adduono said. “Then we just kept believing and then we felt good. We found a way.”
It’s a dangerous way to win, the veteran coach admitted.
“Some of our guys have to be a little bit better, a little more disciplined. Special teams is something we take a lot of pride in and we work on it a lot. We talk about it a lot,” Adduono said.
The Ice Dogs got on the board first courtesy of a lucky bounce, the puck hitting North Stars goalie Jordan Elliott, the defenceman Hayden Johnston before landing on Braedyn Aubin’s stick. Aubin fired it into the empty net for a 1-0 Dryden lead.
Garrett Graham doubled the lead at 8:04 of the first, his screen shot through traffic finding the back of the Thunder Bay net.
The Stars, who out-shot the Ice Dogs in all four periods, finally broke through late in the first on the power play, Jake Robinson pouncing on a huge rebound and firing a wrist shot that Dryden goalie Patrick Zubick had no chance to stop.
It was the culmination of a flurry of shots turned aside by Zubick, who was hit in the mask before the period came to a close, forcing a short break in the action before play resumed.
Brendan Gillis netted the equalizer early in the third, circling in front of the Dryden net and stuffing it in to Zubick’s right.
Jordan Elliott earned the start in nets for Thunder Bay, stopping 35 of 37 shots to pick up the win.
Next up for the North Stars is a road game next Saturday against the Minnesota Iron Rangers. Dryden will visit the Iron Rangers the night before.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Dryden, Aubin 5 (unassisted) 4:33. 2. Dryden, Graham 3 (Knott) 8:04. Penalties: Palermo DRY (hooking) 1:43, Nigro TB (cross checking) 5:57, Sanchez DRY (slashing) 13:35, Leishman TB (slashing) 16:10.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 3. Thunder Bay, Robinson 2 (Masters, Newhouse) 17:50 pp. Penalties: Newhouse TB (roughing) 0:43, Arabia TB (cross checking) 3:58, Newhouse TB (interference) 5:11, Masters TB (roughing), Thrower TB (cross checking), Stout DRY (roughing) 5:28, Wolframe TB (cross checking) 7:43, Aubin (misconduct), Leishman TB (misconduct), Palermo DRY (charging) 10:43, Graham DRY (tripping) 13:25, Robinson TB (unsportsmanlike conduct) 14:12, Palermo DRY () 16:43, Allkins DRY (high sticking) 19:20.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 4. Thunder Bay, Gillis (unassisted) 3:34. Penalties: Robinson TB (slashing) 3:45, Arabia TB (cross checking) 10:34, Stout DRY (slashing) 12:54, Graham DRY (boarding), Johnston TB (roughing) 18:31.
OVERTIME
Scoring: 5. Thunder Bay, Nigro 16 (unassisted) 2:19. Penalties: None.
GAME DATA – SOG – Dryden 13-13-11-0-37, Thunder Bay 14-18-15-0-0; Power plays (goals-chances) – Dryden (0-10), Thunder Bay (1-8); Goaltenders – Dryden: Patrick Zubick, Thunder Bay: Jordan Elliott; A: n/a.
