THUNDER BAY – With line-mate Avery Siau out with a concussion, it’s been tough going for North Stars rookie Keighan Gerrie.
The lone Superior International Junior Hockey League player invited to the Canada West selection camp ahead of the World Junior A Championship, the 16-year-old freshman entered Friday night’s game mired in a seven-game goal-scoring slump.
A visit from the one-win Minnesota Iron Rangers (1-18-3) was just what Gerrie needed.
The Thunder Bay forward snapped his slide late in what would be a five-goal second period, firing a wrist shot past Iron Rangers goaltender Tyler Thompson from point-blank range.
“It felt good to get the monkey finally off my back,” said Gerrie, whose tally gave him 11 on the season, one behind team-leader Brad Thrower.
Gerrie wasn’t the only North Stars player to snap a long slide in Friday night’s 8-2 triumph, played in front of 190 fans at Fort William Gardens.
Second-year forward Shane McKay netted his first of the season in his 16th appearance, the goal his first in exactly 14 months, a span of 19 games.
First-year Thunder Bay coach Rob DeGagne said it was great to see both players find the back of the net.
“It was nice for him to get a goal. He’s been a grinder for us and working on the fourth line. He’s a healthy scratch sometimes. It’s nice for him get on the score sheet,” DeGagne said.
“Keegan has been struggling without Avery being there. He’s a big part of our team and he’s been hurt with a concussion. He’s been struggling a little bit to score some goals. And I think he’s got a few other things on his mind right now with the Canada West camp coming up.”
For a time Friday night it looked like North Star goals just weren’t in the cards.
Iron Rangers goaltender Tyler Thompson was peppered with 18 shots in the opening period, Carter Pellerin finally pushing one past him with 3:43 to go in the frame.
It was a different story in the second.
Brendan Gillis and Owen Belisle scored 41 seconds apart in the opening two-and-a-half minutes and the North Star offence kicked into high gear.
“As soon as you get the goals going, you get the boys going and we start going and getting goals,” Belisle said.
“We start getting confidence and then we’re here for a good time.”
McKay made it 4-0 at 13:10 and Gerrie whipped it past Thompson 85 seconds later.
Troy Sherman added the home side’s fifth goal of the second on the power play with 2:25 to go, a one-timing Joe Newhouse’s pinpoint pass along the Minnesota crease.
Thunder Bay (13-7-3) added to its lead three minutes into the third, Evan Mignault slamming home a wrist shot from the right circle.
Minnesota’s Zach Hayes scores a pair of goals eight minutes apart to ruin Dougie Newhouse’s shutout bid, his second a well-placed backhander from a near-impossible angle as he circled the North Stars net.
Dillon Ward rounded out the scoring at the 16:48 mark with his 10th of the season.
The two teams meet again on Saturday night, the puck scheduled to drop at 7:30 p.m.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Thunder Bay, Pellerin 2 (Belisle) 16:17. Penalties: None.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 2. Thunder Bay, Gillis 9 (Mignault) 1:46. 3. Thunder Bay, Belisle 7 (Sherman) 2:27. 4. Thunder Bay, McKay 1 (Belisle) 13:10. 5. Thunder Bay, Gerrie 11 (Maticic, Ward) 14:35. 6. Thunder Bay, Sherman (J. Newhouse) 17:33 pp. Penalties: Corness TB (high sticking) 6:43, See MIN (holding) 9:59, Wojciki MIN (roughing) 16:25.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 7. Thunder Bay, Mignault 10 (Newhouse, Maticic) pp. 8. Minnesota, Hayes 8 (Wojcicki, Nagy) 6:02. 9. Minnesota, Hayes 9 (Nagy, Horn) 14:04 pp. 10. Thunder Bay, Ward (Maticic, Van Schoenberg) 16:48. Penalties: Nagy MIN (roughing) 2:06, Litke MIN (high sticking) 2:33, Von Schoenberg TB (tripping), Bjorgo MIN, Corness TB (roughing, misconducts) 15:40, Sherman TB (tripping) 17:56.
GAME DATA – SOG – Minnesota 3-8-8-19, Thunder Bay 18-22-14-54; Power plays (goals-chances) – Minnesota (0-4), Thunder Bay (2-4); Goaltenders – Minnesota: Tyler Thompson, Dougie Newhouse; A: 190.
