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North Stars hang on to edge Lakers

Brock Aiken makes 37 saves to lead Thunder Bay to seventh straight triumph.

THUNDER BAY – The Thunder Bay North Stars know every win won’t be pretty.

But they’ll take two points wherever they can find them.

The No. 3 team in the country had to battle for a full 60 minutes on Friday night, aided by the iron at goaltender Brock Aiken’s side three times in the third period alone, holding on for a narrow 2-1 home-ice win at Fort William Gardens.

“A couple posts, but you’ve got to be good to be lucky,” said Aiken, a Thunder Bay Kings grad who spent the past two seasons with Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Portage Terriers and stopped 37 of 38 shots directed his way by the Lakers.

“We played the Iron Rangers the past couple of games, and you get into bad habits sometimes. You could kind of see it tonight. It was a good game and we snuck (away) with two points tonight and that’s all that matters.”

Brendan Gillis, with an early first-period tally, and defenceman Kyle Auger, late in the second, had the Thunder Bay goals, the North Stars taking a 2-0 lead into the third.

The Lakers (5-5-0) poured it on in the final frame, out-shooting Aiken and the Stars 16-11 and collecting their lone goal of the night with seven minutes to play in regulation, Isaac Baron jamming home the puck in a crowded crease in front of the Thunder Bay net.

The goal came minutes after Dane Bateman, Jaedin Ness and Brett Hahkala each rang pucks off Aiken’s posts, the Lakers best chances until that point of the Superior International Junior Hockey League contest.

Thunder Bay coach Rob DeGagne said his team, winners of seven straight and yet to lose in regulation, has played better, but did enough to escape with the win.

“We weren’t sharp tonight. We looked like we were fighting the puck a little bit and maybe a step behind. The kids looked a little tired for whatever reason,” DeGagne said, adding he may have practised them too hard during the week.

“Good teams find a way to win, right? And we did. We got great goaltending. Aiken played really well for us.”

Once again the North Stars power play woes continued, the 7-0-1 team going 0-for-5 with the man advantage, while killing off all six shorthanded situations.

Lakers coach Wayne Strachan said they accomplished one goal, keeping the Keighan Gerrie line in check and off the scoreboard.

They just didn’t do enough offensively to eke out a road win.

“I thought our start hurt us a little bit in the first period. We were a little bit sloppy defensively and obviously they got an early one on a breakdown where we didn’t have the back-checking and a late guy came in and got them an early lead,” Strachan said.

“But I thought after the first, for the final 40 minutes, we made it hard on them and that’s what we wanted to do coming in here.”

Jacob Gridziejko made 36 stops in the Lakers net.

The North Stars host the Minnesota Iron Rangers on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. Fort Frances has a week off, hosting Thunder Bay next Friday.

FIRST PERIOD
Scoring
: 1. Thunder Bay, Gillis 4 (McCollum, Nicholas) 1:28. Penalties: McCollum TB (interference) 17:03, Drobnick FF (hooking) 19:48.

SECOND PERIOD
Scoring
: 2. Thunder Bay, Auger (Nicholas, Hall) 16:10. Penalties: Antonelli FF (holding) 2:32, Hall TB (high sticking) 6:53, Nicholas TB (charging) 16:49, Auger TB (roughing) 19:11, Gillis TB (unsportsmanlike conduct), Bodnar FF (slashing) 20:00.

THIRD PERIOD
Scoring
: 3. Fort Frances, Baron (Knutsen, Allan) 12:54. Penalties: Halushak TB (slashing) 3:03, B. Hahkala FF (kneeing) 6:35, Willan TB (slashing), N. Hahkala FF (cross checking) 8:06, Auger TB (hooking) 9:46, Turbide TB (roughing) 16:32, Allan FF (boarding) 18:59.

GAME DATASOG – Fort Frances 11-11-16-38, Thunder Bay 15-13-10-38; Power plays (goals-chances) – Fort Frances (0-6), Thunder Bay (0-5); Goaltenders – Fort Frances: Jacob Gridziejko, Thunder Bay: Brock Aiken; A: 369.

 



Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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