OT thriller

Dylan Mascarin was all that and a little more last season with the Thunder Bay Kings.

But this season has been a different story entirely for the 16-year-old, in his first season with the Superior International Junior Hockey League's Thunder Bay North Stars.

Mascarin, a playmaker by his own admission, had racked up nine assists in 21 games heading into Friday night's game against the second-year Duluth Clydesdales.

But the Thunder Bay native, who scored 21 times as a set-up man for Jordan Larson –  coincidentally the SIJHL leader this year with 28 goals and 56 points with Fort Frances – had yet to find the back of the net with the third-place Stars (19-12-5).

But that all changed on Friday, as Mascarin pounded home a pair of goals, helping the Stars to a 5-4, come-from-behind overtime win over the Clydesdales (13-24-1), the winning goal scored by Matt Kaarela on the power play at 3:19 of the extra frame.

"It took a bit, but I finally found the right chemistry, bought into my coach's system and started moving my feet and it paid off," said Mascarin, just now realizing what it takes to play against much older players.

"Playing with 20-year-olds is a big jump, but if you work hard, it all falls in place."

Stars coach Todd Howarth didn't mince words when assessing Mascarin's progress in the junior game.

"He had a really bad first half, and if you ask the kid, he would tell you the same thing. I just think he had a rude awakening coming to junior. He wasn't the show anymore, and it took him awhile to figure that out. But the kid's got unbelievable talent and if he just uses it, he's going to be a great player."

His first goal was a mark of opportunity.

Down 2-0 within the first three minutes after Matt Morsette – ejected shortly afterward – and Dillon Mershon scored power play goals, the latter coming on a 5-on-3, Mascarin came to the rescue, pouncing on a loose puck that caught Duluth goalie Jason Dzurik going the other direction at 3:33 of the middle stanza.

Kyle Lapenskie knotted the game 10 minutes later, but Cody Stettin, who assisted on the first two Clydesdale goals, retook the lead for Duluth at 14:39. Not that it lasted long, thanks to Mascarin.

The Stars forward blazed his way into the opposition territory of the ensuing centre-ice draw and beat Dzurik, once again tying the game, this time 3-3.

Duluth's Chris Palm's backhander made it 4-3 five minutes into the third, the weak goal chasing North Stars starter Carter McEachern. Travis Tilley had the answer however, blasting home a shot with 7:09 to go in regulation, sending the game to overtime.

The Stars got a big break when the officials tagged Duluth's Jonathan Ringstad for a check from behind in the overtime and Kaarela wasted no time netting the winner, which came just 10 seconds after the penalty was assessed.

"My line was struggling a big," said Kaarela, who rifled a shot from the circle for the winner.

"When it came down to the end there we just knew we had to go for it and everybody was just working hard at the end, which is the main thing. We just got it into overtime. It's just a good play we've been working on in practice and it just came together pretty good for us."

Star gazing: Fort Wiliam Gardens was packed with 1,243 people, thanks to ticket giveaways through the Robin's Minor Hockey Classic being staged throughout the city this weekend ... In other SIJHL play, Jordan Shockley, Anthony Calabrese and Austin Bevilacqua score two goals each and Nick Drill had five assists as Wisconsin trounced Iron Range 12-1.

FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Duluth, Morsette (Scott, Stettin) 1:15 pp. 2. Duluth, Mershon (Scott) 2:59 pp. Penalties: Kaarela TB (cross checking) 1:10. BJ Pirus (tripping) 1:46. Fox TB (instigating, fighting, game misconduct, Morsette (check to head, game misconduct) 2:11, Stettin DUL (holding) 2:11. Palm DUL, Howarth TB (roughing) 13:21, Mershon DUL (tripping) 13:06, Fox TB, Armstrong DUL (unsportsmanlike conduct) 15:47, Lapenskie TB (high sticking) 19:54.

SECOND PERIOD
Scoring:  3. Thunder Bay, Mascarin 1 (Pirus, Prout) 3:34. 2. Thunder Bay, Lapenskie (Osborne, Alexander) 14:02 pp. 5. Duluth, Stettin (Palm, Tront) 14:39. 6. Thunder Bay, Mascarin 2 (unassisted) 14:47. Penalties: Orosey (goalie interference) 7:26, Tearse DUL (delay of game) 11:47.

THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 7. Duluth, Palm (Tomassoni) 5:43. 8. Thunder Bay, Osborne (Howarth, Dubinsky) 12:51. Penalties: Tront DUL (cross checking), Lapenskie TB (roughing) 2:16, Howarth TB (slashing), Dubinsky TB (cross checking), Tront DUL (roughing) 8:03, Wolframe TB, Tearse DUL (fighting, game misconducts) 10:05. Dubchak TB (holding) 14:01.

OVERTIME
Scoring: 9 Thunder Bay, Kaarela (Warmington, Dubchak) 3:19. Penalties: RIngstad DUL (checking from behind, misconduct) 3:09.

GAME DATA – SOG – Duluth 8-10-8-3-29, Thunder Bay 9-9-10-5-33; Power plays (goals-chances) – Duluth (2-7) Thunder Bay (2-4); Goaltenders – Duluth: Jason Dzurik, Thunder Bay: Carter McEachern, Marc Nother (5:43 third); A: 1,243.