It’s do-or-die time for the Thunder Bay North Stars.
The five-time Superior International Junior Hockey League champions were pushed to the brink of playoff elimination on Monday night at Fort William Gardens after a hard-fought 5-4 loss to the top-ranked Fort Frances Lakers, who led 4-0 early in the second.
The win gives the Lakers a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven semifinal, which they can wrap up on Tuesday night.
Stars forward Bradley Belisle, who scored his fourth of the playoffs on the power play late in the second to pull Thunder Bay within a pair, said the team’s back may be against the wall, but they still think they have a chance.
“We’re sure as hell not out of it. We have to come into Game 4 tomorrow ready to play in our home barn and pick away at them one game at a time and press, do things right shift by shift,” Belisle said.
Coach Jeremy Adduono said there’s no real positive way to spin a three-game deficit.
“The only way we can look at it is we need a win our home rink tomorrow,” he said. “If we get that we’ll worry about what comes next.”
It wasn’t for lack of attempts that the home side fell a goal short of completing the comeback.
The Stars out-shot the Lakers 49-40 and had a chance to tie the game with Nathaniel Dupuis on the bench late in the third for an extra attacker.
But there’s a reason Fort Frances’ Nathan Park was named SIJHL goalie of the year and he showed why in the dying seconds, thrusting out his pad to thwart North Stars centre Kenny Turner attempting to net the equalizer and complete the two-on-one play.
“We’re not going to hang our heads here,” Adduono said. I love the way the kids responded. I can’t say enough about the inner confidence we have in our room. We started to chip away and toward the end it was pretty obvious we were inches away from tying it.”
The game saving stop was key.
“But it was one of many,” Adduono said of Park’s performance.
Lakers defenceman Nick Minerva started the offensive onslaught with the only goal of the first, chipping the puck past North Stars starter Eric Mann at the 6:50 mark.
The Lakers ramped up their attack in the second, Mason Meyer, Nolan Ross and Wyatt Cota scoring in a 3:12 span to chase Mann, the latter a weak shot that the North Stars goalie couldn’t handle as it bounced past into the net.
Aaron Wesley-Chisel finally got Thunder Bay on the board at 7:01 of the second, the two sides playing a man short, with Belisle pounding home a rebound eight minutes later to make it 4-2.
Bowen Alcock got one back for the Lakers early in the third on a two-on-one, before the North Stars began their comeback again in earnest.
Nicholas Nigro rifled a wrist shot that beat Park over his left shoulder. Two seconds shy of the midway point of the period Mathias Gardiman closed the gap to one, stepping over the blue-line to unleash a cannon that caught Park by surprise.
“Maybe it was a little bit of a head lapse, but that’s the way she goes sometimes. Two mistakes and it’s two goals and you’re down and you’re clawing back,” Belisle said.
Game 4 is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Fort Frances, Minerva (Alcock) 6:50. Penalties: Chorney FF (cross checking) 7:56, Robertson FF (holding the stick) 14:06.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 2. Fort Frances, Meyer 3 (Nolan, Jasper) 2:40. 3. Fort Frances, Ross 1 (Cota, Chorney) 4:29. 4. Fort Frances, Cota 1 (Minerva, Robertson) 5:52. 5. Thunder Bay, Wesley-Chisel 1 (Kellaway, Gardiman) 7:01. 6. Thunder Bay, Belisle 4 (Cavar, McKitrick) 14:49 pp. Penalties: Taylor TB (slashing) 5:06, Walsh TB (double minor high sticking) 6:33, Jasper FF (goaltender interference) 6:52, Kapcheck FF (hooking) 14:27, Minerva FF, Nigro TB (roughing) 15:42.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 7. Fort Frances, Alcock (Spicer) 2:54. 8. Thunder Bay, Nigro 3 (Gardiman, Cavar) 3:49. 9. Thunder Bay, Gardiman (Kellaway, Newhouse) 9:58. Penalties: None.
GAME DATA – SOG – Fort Frances 11-15-14-40, Thunder Bay 17-17-15-49; Power plays (goals-chances) – Fort Frances (1-2), Thunder Bay (1-3); Goaltenders – Fort Frances: Nathan Park, Thunder Bay: Eric Mann (18 shots, 14 saves), Nathaniel Dupuis (5:52, second); A: 450 (estimated).
