COCHRANE, Ont. – The Thunder Bay North Stars may be the No. 2 team in the Canadian Junior Hockey League, but they’re certainly not playing like it at the Dudley Hewitt Cup.
The North Stars, who last month captured their first Superior International Junior Hockey League title in nine years, fell for the second straight day at the Ontario Junior A hockey championship in Cochrane, Ont., dropping a 3-0 decision to the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League champion Hearst Lumberjacks.
Jake Desando and Dawson Waddell scored first-period goals to spark the Lumberjacks win. Daniel Fisher added his second of the four-team tournament early in the second.
Dougie Newhouse made 16 saves in taking the loss between the pipes for Thunder Bay. Nicholas Tallarico stopped all 18 shots he faced to earn the shutout.
The loss drops the Stars to 0-2, with one final game to play in the round robin, an afternoon match-up on Thursday against the Oakville Blades, the No. 3 team in the CJHL rankings.
Hearst improved to 1-1, after Tuesday’s 4-2 defeat at the hands of Oakville.
