Stars shine

The Thunder Bay North Stars started out like gangbusters.

The finished like a team that knew it was hanging on for dear life.

The Stars scored four times on their first nine shots, chased Duluth goalie Cody Stocker from their Superior International Junior Hockey League contest at Fort William Gardens Friday night, and looked like world-beaters.

But Stocker’s replacement, Jeff Dunaisky, stopped all  but one of the 34 shots he faced to keep Duluth in contention until the closing minutes of the contest.

Unfortunately the expansion Clydesdales couldn’t quite find the offence they needed to complete the comeback in just their second visit to Thunder Bay, falling 5-2.

Newcomer Colten Brule, acquired from Sioux Lookout in a deal for defenceman Jacob Brown, said they found success doing what coach Todd Howarth told them to do.

“What can I say. All these guys were just taking shots. The shots speak for the score. We had over 40 shots and kept them under20. If we keep that up we’ll be having a long streak here,” said Brule, playing just his third game in a North Stars uniform.

His goal – his first for Thunder Bay – was a prime example of the theory. Falling to the ice, he nonetheless managed to fire a floater at Stocker, who couldn’t handle the knuckleball and was helpless to stop it from bulging the back of the twine at the 6:12 mark of the first.

“Good things happen when you put it at the net,” he said.

Mitch Marostica learned the lesson firsthand two minutes earlier when he fired a shorthanded slapper through traffic that eluded Stocker at 4:19, giving Thunder Bay a 1-0 lead.

Two minutes after Brule’s goal veteran Dan Usiski broke through a traffic jam in front of Stocker to up the North Stars lead to three. Then, just five seconds after a pair of Clydesdales were sent off for separate fouls, Kevin Hamel slammed home a shot along the ice, leaving Duluth coach Butch Williams – who spent parts of three seasons in the NHL during the 1970s – no choice but to lift him.

It was the best decision he made all night.

The North Stars kept firing shots at will, but Dunaisky kicked them all aside until Quinn Remple beat him late in the third.

North Stars coach Todd Howarth, who normally doesn’t like tight games, was OK that his boys didn’t run away and hide.

“We made some nice plays and we scored some goals. But if it wasn’t for their goalie that they pulled and put the new one in, it would have been a lot worse. We missed some quality chances. I thought we played really good tonight,” Howarth said.

The North Stars (16-8-1) have little time to rest. They host the now third-place Wisconsin Wilderness on Saturday night.

The Wilderness fell out of top spot – now jointly held by the North Stars and Fort Frances Lakers, also 16-8-1 – falling 3-1 Friday to the Dryden Ice Dogs.

The Lakers kept pace with Thunder Bay, beating Sioux Lookout 5-4 on a Jace Baldwin power play goal early in the third, the lone goal in the final frame.

FIRST PERIOD
Scoring:1. Thunder Bay, Marostica 2 (Valley) 4:19 sh. 2. Thunder Bay, Brule 1 (Breukelman, Valley) 6:12. 3. Thunder Bay, Usiski 8 (Marostica, Forbes) 8:05. 4. Thunder Bay, Hamel (Henley, Marsh) 10:49 pp. 5. Duluth, Paine 14 (Morin) 14:48 pp. Penalties: Howarth TB (slashing) 3:31, Dusek DUL (hooking), Palm DUL (cross checking) 10:43, Brule TB (tripping) 14:11, Biasol TB (tripping) 16:03, Morin DUL (slashing) 16:28.

SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 6. Duluth, C. Palm 3 (Doig, Paine) 13:55 pp. Penalties: Breukelman TB (hooking) 12:25, Rempel TB (hooking), Melde DUL (cross checking) 16:05.

THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: Thunder Bay, Remple 6 (Marsh) 17:13. Penalties:Haydon DUL (tripping) 5:32, R. Palm DUL (tripping), Breukelman TB (hooking) 6:38, C. Palm TB (holding) 11:10, Breukelman TB (delay of game) 13:35.

GAME DATA – SOG – Duluth 6-9-0-0, Thunder Bay 18-12-0-0; Power plays (goals-chances) – Duluth (2-5), Thunder Bay (1-5); Goaltenders – Duluth: Cody Stocker (nine shots, five saves), Jeff Dunaisky (10:49 first) Thunder Bay –Guillaume Piche; A: 150 (estimated).