FORT FRANCES – Hitting the road didn’t do much to turn around the fortunes of the suddenly slumping Thunder Bay North Stars.
The host Fort Frances Lakers score twice in a 67-second span in the third period on Friday night to erase a 3-2 Thunder Bay lead, and went on to down the North Stars 5-3, handing their opponent a fourth straight defeat.
Former Thunder Bay King Cooper Witherspoon tied the contest 3-3 at 6:56 of the final stanza and Ben Hoefler gave them the lead for good at 8:03.
Nakoda Thunderchief, who broke open a scoreless tie early in the second Flynn Perry and MacKenzie Flett, into the empty net, also scored for the Lakers (10-10-1).
Michael Vecchio, Alex Erwin and Cody Bruchkowski had the Thunder Bay goals.
Jordan Smith took the loss in nets for Thunder Bay victimized four times on 35 shots. Alex Bugeja made 36 saves to earn the win for fifth-place Fort Frances.
The North Stars (14-4-4) head to Red Lake on Friday night and head home next Friday to take on the Dryden Ice Dogs.
