Securing just one point in four games had the Thunder Bay North Stars hungry for victory and that is what they got on Wednesday night at Fort William Gardens. Scoring three first period goals were the catalyst in a dominant 6-3 win over defending SIJHL champion Fort Frances Lakers.
Despite coming into the game with just the one point in the league standings, Thunder Bay has been competitive in each game to-date. With an upcoming three-game road trip against English River Miners, the North Stars needed a win under their belt before hitting the road. Brad Arabia got the team on the scoreboard with the first shot of the game at :55 of the opening period. After the Lakers tied the game at 1-1 Thunder Bay quickly responded with a pair of goals to take a 3-1 lead. Jake Robinson and Kris Hamlin each scored their first of the season to send starting goaltender Pierce Dushenko to the bench after giving up three goals in the opening 13 minutes.
Both teams scored a goal in the second period as Robinson scored his second at 5:04 to make the score 4-2. The continued solid play by goaltender Riley Corbin anchored the Thunder Bay defense once again. Playing all five games, his .927 save% is currently second-best in the league.
Avery Siau and Jared Fanti scored in the third period to make it 6-2 before a late powerplay goal by the Lakers saw the final 6-3. Corbin made 39 saves to earn the victory in net while the North Stars offense poured a season-high 42 shots on net.
The North Stars (1-3-0-1) will hit the road to face English River (0-3-0-2) on Thursday night at Ear Falls Arena. Game time is 7:00 PM (CT). The game will stream live on FASThockey while fans can also follow game updates on Twitter.