THUNDER BAY – The bounces just didn’t go the way of the Thunder Bay North Stars.
The Thief River Falls Norskies, on the other hand, proved sometimes it pays to be both lucky and good.
Parker Simonson buried his second of the game late in the second to five the Norskies the lead for good, though not everyone thought the quick shot made it under the cross back and across the line.
Whether it did or not really doesn’t matter.
The Norskies (28-1-0) were awarded the goal, took back the momentum and cruised to a 6-3 win, their 10th straight and 28th in 29 games this season.
North Stars coach Rob DeGagne was in the no column, but wasn’t faulting the on-ice officials.
“We we’re playing with them, we were coming on and it was 2-2 and they got a goal that didn’t go in. We watched it on television and it didn’t go in. Mistakes are made. Maybe we lost our composure a little bit and we can’t. We’re a young team and we lost our composure and it cost us,” DeGagne said.
The goal came at the 14:35 mark of the middle stanza. Within four minutes they’d added two more, Blair Lindholm beating Dougie Newhouse for his 10th of the season, Alec Darnam connecting for a shorthanded tally that extended Thief River Falls’ lead to 5-2 through 40 minutes.
“They got a lucky one,” said North Stars captain Joe Newhouse. “We were sloppy and they capitalized on their chances. That’s what good teams do.”
The two teams traded goals twice early in the contest.
Connor Bowey got things started with a power play goal just 76 seconds after the opening face-off, Brad Thrower in the box for an early trip.
He’d make up for it six minutes later, a quick wrist shot fooling Thief River Falls goalie Bailey Schmitzg. Simonson, the leading goal-scorer in the Superior International Junior Hockey League, potted his 26th of the season in a scramble in front of Dougie Newhouse. But Evan Maticic lifted the North Stars into a 2-2 tie early in the second, firing a shot through traffic that found the back of the net.
Things got a little rough in the middle frame, Thunder Bay’s Owen Belisle and Thief River Falls’ Alec Severson both tossed for a fight.
The North Stars (16-9-3) also lost Avery Siau late in the second, handed a misconduct, game misconduct and a gross misconduct for something DeGagne maintains a frustrated Siau didn’t say after emerging from the penalty box following Simonson’s go-ahead goal.
“There was someone from the crowd who yelled the referee’s name and they kicked the player out because they thought it was the player that yelled at the referee.”
In fact it was team co-owner Kris Kellaway who made the offending comment. Siau could be subject to a three-game suspension if the penalties stand.
Thrower, who failed to connect on a 2-on-0 break with Ryan Mignault, scored a late power play goal in the third, his 16th, but Cody Aarvig added an empty netter to round out the scoring.
The Stars wrap up their pre-Christmas schedule on Dec. 20 in Dryden and next play at home on Jan. 10.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Thief River Falls, Bowey 5 (Soderberg) 1:16 pp. 2. Thunder Bay, Thrower 15 (unassisted) 7:48 pp. 3. Thief River Falls, Simonson 26 (Bjorge) 11:59. Penalties: Thrower TB (tripping) 1:05, Lindholm TRF (tripping) 6:29, Mignault TB (slashing) 12:29, Simonson TRF (unsportsmanlike conduct) 17:07.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 4. Thunder Bay, Maticic (Mignault) 6:53 pp. 5. Thief River Falls Simonson 27 (unassisted) 14:35. 6. Thief River Falls, Lindholm (Jackson) 16:31. 7. Thief River Falls, Darnan (unassisted) 18:25 sh. Penalties: Corness TB (interference) 3:12, Johnson TRF (high sticking) 5:31, Schuster TRF (checking from behind, game misconduct), Gerrie TB (roughing) 6:49, Smith TB (slashing) 8:01, Mihalcin TB (high sticking) 9:43, Grytdahl TRF (interference, misconduct, served by Lindholm) 11:30, Johnson TRF (hooking) 13:26, Siau TB (holding, served by Gillis) 14:28, Siau (misconduct, game misconduct, gross misconduct) 14:45, Bench minor TRF (too many men, served by Bergland) 17:51, Stevenson TRF (roughing), Belisle TB (cross checking) 18:11.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 8. Thunder Bay, Thrower (Ward, J. Newhouse) 18:47 pp. 9. Thief River Falls, Aarvig (Bjorge) 19:56 en. Penalties: Piper TRF (tripping) 0:25, Sherman TB (roughing) 5:18. Severson TRF, Belisle TB (fighting majors, game misconducts) 7:48, Turbide TB (tripping) 9:50, Bjorge TRF (roughing) 12:58, Newhouse TB (slashing) 12:58, Jones TRF (hooking) 17:44.
GAME DATA – SOG – Thief River Falls 13-10-9-32, Thunder Bay 5-8-13-26; Power plays (goals-chances) – Thief River Falls (1-8), Thunder Bay (3-8); Goaltenders – Thief River Falls: Bailey Schmitzg, Thunder Bay: Dougie Newhouse; A: 237.
