THUNDER BAY – The always heated battle between the Kam River Fighting Walley and the host Thunder Bay North Stars didn’t disappoint.
The two teams, jockeying for playoff positioning in the Superior International Junior Hockey League standings, were scoreless for most of the first half of the contest, a goaltender’s battle between Kam River’s Ashton Sadauskas and Thunder Bay’s Keenan Marks who combined for 72 saves on the night.
It was the North Stars who broke through first.
Marcellus Francis scored the fourth time in four outings on Friday night, the goal coming 8:48 of the second frame, the only goal either team would score through 40 minutes.
Kam River’s Max Wright evened things up at 5:38 of the third, but it was North Stars captain Tyler Jordan who had the last laugh, burying a shorthanded tally with 8:06 to play in regulation that earned Thunder Bay its sixth win in seven games.
The North Stars improved to 21-9-2 and sit one point behind third-place Sioux Lookout and two behind the Fighting Walleye (23-11-0), who are 18-6-0 since Larry Wintoneak took over at the 10-game mark of the season.
In the only other game of the night, the Sioux Lookout Bombers rode a Ty Kirk hat trick to a 6-1 win over the visiting Ironwood Lumberjacks.
Contests between Kenora and Red Lake and Fort Frances and Dryden were postponed.
The Stars and Walleye meet again on Saturday night at the Gardens.
