The Fort William North Stars didn’t fare too well against the Dryden Ice Dogs in the initial round-robin phase of the Superior International Junior Hockey League playoffs, but they put those concerns to rest on Wednesday night.
The host North Stars laid a 5-1 pounding on the second-ranked Dryden Ice Dogs, opening their best-of-seven SIJHL final on a winning note.
Trevor Gamache, the league’s leading scorer had a pair of goals for the North Stars, who got singles from Eli Halcrow, Dan Usiski and Adam Restoule.
Spencer Gyori, at 6:29 of the third, potted the lone marker for the Ice Dogs.
The two teams will meet again on Thursday night in Game 2, once again at Fort William Gardens.