OLIVER PAIPOONGE – The preseason isn’t about wins and losses, it’s about figuring out what you’ve got.
At first glance, the Kam River Fighting Walleye can’t complain.
No, they didn’t eke out a win on Friday night to open the Teleco Cup at the Norwest Arena, falling 3-2 to the visiting Soo Eagles after opening up a 2-0 lead early in the third.
They took too many penalties, and eventually it came back to bite them.
The Fighting Walleye also ran into a stingy goaltender, Soo’s Logan Raffaele stopping 39 of 41 shots, including 18 of 19 in the decisive third frame.
Neither team dressed its top lineup, it was just a chance to test out some new faces, while giving some veterans with guaranteed spots a rest.
“That’s why you bring in good teams,” said Fighting Walleye coach Matt Valley.
“You want to play against programs that are going test us. That’s the first thing we looked at when we were bringing in the Soo. They have a good coach, a veteran team with a lot of returnees. They’re going to have a good chance to compete in their league and we think we’re going to have a good chance to compete in ours so let’s bring them in and see best on best.”
Valley, who led his team to the Superior International Junior Hockey League final last season, said he liked they way his team stood tall with the Eagles, a team that last won a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League title in 2011.
“It’s not about the wins and losses, it’s about how it’s done. There are a lot of points we can talk about for tomorrow, and a lot of guys learned something,” Valley said.
It was all Kam River in the opening stanza, the lone goal coming from veteran Trenton Morriseau, with the Fighting Walleye up a man.
The Eagles opened the second with a 1:41 power play and earned most of the best scoring chances in the period, only to be stoned by Kam River goaltender Jack Orchard, the 19-year arriving from a season in the North American 3 Hockey League.
Orchard was at his finest late in the period, stopping Chase Tallaire on a shot in tight, and having the presence of mind to make a toe save on captain Jack Mortson’s rebound attempt.
Kam River doubled its lead two minutes into the third, SIJHL sophomore Braeden Duchesne making the most of a lengthy two-man advantage to up the score to 2-0.
But all good things must come to an end.
Defenceman Payton Clarke turned the puck over inside the zone and Soo’s Jack Palweski roofed a shot that beat Orchard, cutting the Kam River advantage in half. Four minutes later Tallaire cut across the middle a rifled a wrist shot from the slot into the Fighting Walleye net, and the game was tied at two.
As the third wound down it looked like overtime was on the horizon, but a broken play caught Orchard way out of his net and Mortson pounced to put home the game-winner, the goal coming with just 1:43 to go in regulation.
“I just saw the goalie coming out and thought I’d try to go around him and tuck it in. It was nice,” Mortson said.
The teams will play Game 2 of their three-game exhibition series on Saturday night at 7 p.m.
Fish food: The Fighting Walleye rested veterans Carson Gorst, Kyle Lamoureux, Holden Woodcroft, Colton Crysler and No. 1 goaltender Eric Vanska.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Kam River, Morriseau (Leduc, Duchesne) 7:42 pp. Penalties: Dunmore KFW (high sticking) 1:02, Driessen SOO (interference) 4:12, Fiddes SOO (high sticking) 6:08, Briskey SOO (charging) 9:55, Morrow KFW (slashing) 15:51, Clarke KFW (holding), 19:42.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: None. Penalties: Oviedo KFW (cross checking) 8:48, Schechtel KFW (cross checking) 13:06, Kennedy KFW (holding) 19:47.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 2. Kam River, Duchesne (Clarke, Morrow) 2:09 pp. 3. Soo, Palweski (Hendry) 9:15 pp. 4. Soo, Tallaire (Mortson, Driessen) 11:28. 5. Soo, Mortson (McMahon) 18:17. Penalties: Driessen SOO (slashing) 0:45, Woldt SOO (hooking) 1:41, Neilson KFW (interference) 8:16, Lang KFW (holding, misconduct), Stec SOO (holding, roughing, misconduct) 13:21.
GAME DATA -- SOG -- Soo 10-17-19-46, Kam River 13-9-19-41; Power plays (goals-chances) - Soo (1-7), Kam River (2-6); Goaltenders - Soo: Logan Raffaele, Kam River: Jack Orchard; A: N/A.
