THUNDER BAY – The English River Miners led the Thunder Bay North Stars on three separate occasions on Friday night.
The North Stars, however, took the lead when it mattered most.
Kyle Auger scored the winning goal in the shootout, delivering a 4-3 Fort William Gardens win for Thunder Bay (18-11-3), who won for the second time in three outings.
Ethan Wong, Michel Di Lullo and Kyle Rosolowski staked the Miners to leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2, scoring a single goal in all three periods.
Auger, Alexander Erwin and Joe Newhouse responded for the North Stars, Newhouse’s equalizer coming with 4:08 to play in regulation, in a game that saw just three minor penalties called.
Dougie Newhouse made 34 stops to pick up the win, while Michael Lenko faced 43 shots in taking the loss.
The Miners, who will look for redemption on Saturday night, fell to 13-13-4.
