The Thunder Bay North Stars don’t have a lot of maneuvering room.
With just nine games left on their schedule, the Stars need every point they can get down the stretch. But suddenly home ice hasn’t seemed quite as comfortable as it did earlier in the Superior International Junior Hockey League season.
Thunder Bay (24-18-4) entered play on Saturday night on a two-game slide, and had dropped three straight at Fort William Gardens.They're four points ahead of third-place Dryden and six up on fourth-place Minnesota. Both teams have four games in hand.
Tim Cavar and Nicholas Nigro ensured the home-ice futility wouldn’t hit four.
The duo scored a pair of goals apiece – although Cavar’s pretty sure his first belonged to teammate Brandon Wolframe – to lead the North Stars to a decisive, penalty-filled 5-2 win over the visiting English River Miners.
Every win’s important from here on in, said Cavar.
“We don’t want to wind up in fourth and have to play that elimination round,” the lanky defenceman said.
“We really push ourselves to keep pace with the other teams and stay ahead of them.”
It’s a sentiment shared by coach Jeremy Adduono, with a five-game road trip staring the North Stars in the face.
“I think we’ve been real, real strong at home over the last year-and-a-half and I think we’ve sort of established that we’re tough to beat here,” Adduono said. “So I think it was real important to win here and remind ourselves of that confidence, to know that this is our building and we take care of business here.
“We also want to continue to let the rest of the league know that when they come to Thunder Bay it’s going to be tough to get points out of here.”
After a scoreless first – albeit a costly one for Thunder Bay, who lost defenceman Mitch Caruso after he blocked a shot with his face – the two sides got to work in a hurry in the second.
Nigro notched his 27th of the campaign just 23 seconds in with the Stars on a two-man advantage, blasting a shot from the right faceoff circle that eluded English River goalie P.D. Melgoza. But the Miners responded just 28 seconds later, Jarett Day beating Eric Mann, English River still a body short.
But before the Miners’ second penalty expired, the North Stars found themselves back on to, a scramble in front of the net leading to Cavar’s – or Wolframe’s – first of the night.
Adduono was pleased with their response.
“Once we got the lead and then gave one up, to be able to respond that quickly, it’s huge for confidence and morale and it keeps the energy up on the bench more than anything,” he said.
Adduono was less pleased about the number of penalties called – nine in each of the first two periods – saying the number of calls does interrupt the flow of the game.
“It’s tough when there’s power plays and penalty kills going both ways. You’re trying to keep all your players engaged in the game. At the same time, you’re trying to get the right players on the ice.”
The Stars struck once more in the second, Nigro one-timing a Matthias Gardiman pass, Thunder Bay’s third of four power-play goals on the night.
They added to their lead in the third, Cavar’s blast from the point crashing into the twine for a 4-1 Thunder Bay lead.
Taylor Bargar and Gardiman, into the empty net, traded third-period tallies.
The final stanza was interrupted briefly by fisticuffs, Thunder Bay’s Daniel McKitrick duking it out with English River’s Kirk Coppock. Both players were tossed.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: None. Penalties: McKitrick TB (slashing) 0:03, Newhouse TB (boarding) 1:33, McQueen TB (high sticking) 4:16, Newhouse TB (high sticking) 9:11, Moreau ER (slashing) 13:22, Beaucham ER (slashing), Moreau ER (roughing) 15:50, Blouin ER (slashing) 19:12, Warkentin ER (high sticking) 19:57.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Thunder Bay, Nigro 27 (Walsh, Gardiman) 0:23pp. 2. English River, Day (Chaulk) 0:51 sh. 3. Thunder Bay, Cavar 8 (unassisted) 1:20 pp. 4. Thunder Bay, Nigro 28 (Walsh, Gardiman) 8:28 pp. Penalties: Cavar TB (check to the head, misconduct, served by McKitrick) 2:34, Bra. Wolframe (spearing double minor) 6:34, Bargar ER (slashing) 7:18, Dartnall ER (tripping) 8:14, Newhouse TB (unsportsmanlike conduct) 10:39, Moreau ER (hooking), Hickey TB (roughing) 15:50, Chaulk ER (interference) 17:44 , Toth ER (high sticking) 20:00.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 5. Thunder Bay, Cavar 9 (Kellaway, Nigro) 1:21 pp. 6. English River, Bargar (Dartnall, Blouin) 7:27. Penalties: Coppock ER, McKitrick TB (fighting majors, game misconducts) 4:58,
GAME DATA – SOG – English River 14-15-12-12, Thunder Bay 14-25-14-53; Power plays (goals-chances) – English River (0-6), Thunder Bay (4-8); Goaltenders – English River P.D. Melgoza, Thunder Bay: Eric Mann; A: N/A.
