Daniel Delpaggio had plenty of tricks up his sleeve Tuesday night.
The Thunder Bay North Stars forward buried a trio of pucks to help the Thunder Bay North Stars get back on the winning track, ending a four-game home-stand at Fort William Gardens with a 6-4 win over the Minnesota Iron Rangers.
Delpaggio, who leads the team in points with 15, scored twice in less than three minutes – sandwiching a Bryce Maggrah tally – in the pivotal second period that saw the Stars extend a 2-1 lead by three goals.
The win’s what mattered, he said.
“It’s always big getting a win after a loss,” said the Thunder Bay Major Midget Kings graduate. “Especially the way we went out the last game at home. I was just glad I could contribute to our few goals and help the boys win.”
North Stars coach Jeremy Adduono said he’s been a fan of Delpaggio’s since training camp.
Paired with fellow rookie Zach Grzelewski, who added his sixth of the season in the first to make it 2-0 Thunder Bay, Adduono said he’s done everything that’s been asked of him – and then some.
“He’s been great,” Adduono said. “He’s done more than what was expected. To be honest I liked him from the first day I saw him at training camp. He’s a very talented and a very skilled kid and he still hasn’t even turned 17 year.
“His skill level is really unlimited at this point. There’s a lot of things we’re going to continue to work on with him – his overall game, his play without the puck … It’s a nice boost when you can get some unexpected scoring from some younger guys.”
As it turns out, his final two goals were a lot more than icing on the cake. They turned out to be the difference after the Iron Ranger rallied from a 6-1 deficit to pull within two before the clock hit zero.
“Yeah, it was a big scare in the end. (We) took our foot off the pedal,” Delpaggio said.
The Stars gave it plenty of gas in the first two periods.
They were helped by a miscue or two by the Iron Rangers (5-4-1). Grzelewski's goal in the opening period was a shining example of what can go wrong when not everyone is playing on the same page.
Minnesota goalie Alex Reichle, who was chased after allowing four goals on 19 shots, attempted to clear the puck, but instead handed it right to Grzelewski, a 2013 draft pick of the OHL's London Knights. He powered it home for the two-goal lead.
The Iron Rangers got the goal back with 1:17 to go in the first when A.J. Rupert slide the puck between Mann's skates as he skated past the Thunder Bay netminder.
But Minnesota's penalty kill couldn't keep the Stars off the score sheet. Thunder Bay scored four times with the man advantage, including Delpaggio's hat-trick clinching goal seven minutes into the third against replacement goalie Jacob Garvey.
Goal by goal, the Iron Rangers began to chip away at the Thunder Bay lead. Tyler Tuneberg and Trevor Hoth scored 37 seconds apart before the midway point in the period. But save for a power play marker by Hoth in the final minute of regulation, Mann, who faced 17 shots in the frame, shut the door from there on in.
Taylor Santorelli, who opened the scoring, and Bryce Maggrah had the North Stars other goals.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Thunder Bay, Santorelli 8 (Cavar) 11:08 pp. 2. Thunder Bay, Grzelewski 6 (unassisted) 15:01. 3. Minnesota, Rupert 1 (Fazio, Losurdo) 18:43. Penalties: Colling MIN (holding) 2:31, Madison MIN (hooking) 10:46, Hynnes TB (holding) 12:14, Santorelli TB (tripping) 15:30.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Thunder Bay, Delpaggio 5 (Taylor, Cavar) 6:35 pp. 5. Thunder Bay, Maggrah 2 (unassisted) 7:38. 6. Thunder Bay, Delpaggio 6 (Walsh) 9:02. Penalties: Routheau MIN (hooking) 4:43, Taylor TB (holding the stick) 12:48, Frank MIN (slashing, roughing), Walsh TB (roughing) 13:15.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 7. Thunder Bay, Delpaggio 6 (Taylor, Gardiman) 6:56 pp. 8. Minnesota, Tuneberg 1 (Reynolds) 7:57. 9. Minnesota, Hoth 8 (Losurdo) 8: 34. 10. Minnesota Hoth 9 (Losurdo, Reynolds) 19:33 pp. Penalties: Mihalus TB (hooking) 1:29, Audet MIN, Turner TB (roughing, unsportsmanlike conduct) 2:30, Frank MIN (tripping) 5:18, Bre. Wolframe TB, Audet MIN (fighting, game misconduct) 7:41, Cavar TB (tripping) 12:51, Cavar TB (holding) 19:05.
GAME DATA – SOG – Minnesota 6-7-18-31, Thunder Bay 17-8-5-30; Power plays (goals-chances) – Minnesota (1-6), Thunder Bay (3-5); Goaltenders – Minnesota: Alex Reichle (19 shots, 15 saves), Jacob Garvey (7:38, second), Thunder Bay: Eric Mann..
