FORT FRANCES, Ont. – The Thunder Bay North Stars have locked up second place in the Superior International Junior Hockey League.
The Stars on Tuesday edged the host Fort Frances Lakers 4-3 in overtime, which combined with English River’s 4-3 defeat at the hands of first-place Dryden clinched the No. 2 seed for Thunder Bay (31-17-6), who will wrap up regular-season play this weekend at home.
The Miners (29-21-4) fell six points behind the North Stars, with just two games to play, but are still in a heated battle for third place with expansion Thief River Falls (28-21-5), the OT point giving English River a one-point edge in that race.
Nicholas Nigro netted the extra-time winner for Thunder Bay, his 33rd of the season, the goal coming with just 14 seconds to go. Ryan Walsh had tied it at 11:40 of the third, the lone goal of the final stanza.
Thunder Bay scored the only goal of the first, Tyler Minoletti beating Brandon Bodnar for the early 1-0 lead.
But the pesky Lakers, the Stars opponent in their previous two games, rolled off three straight tallies, including a pair in the opening 53 seconds of the middle period.
Matt Tustin evened the score 35 seconds in, then Dylan Kooner notched his first of two on the night to put Fort Frances in front 2-1. Kooner would add another with 4:34 to play in the second, but John Parrott cut the Lakers advantage to one at the 17:45 mark.
Nathaniel Dupuis, making a second straight start, stopped 33 of 36 shots he faced. Bodnar was good on 34 of 38 directed his way.
The North Stars take on Thief River Falls on Friday night at Fort William Gardens and close out the campaign the next night against English River. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. both nights.
