OLIVER PAIPOONGE – The Kam River Fighting Walleye are a perfect 5-0 in the postseason.
The top-seeded team in the Superior International Junior Hockey League continued their playoff mastery on Sunday evening, blanking the Red Lake Miners 5-0 to grab Game 1 of their best-of-seven semifinal at the Norwest Arena.
Carter Nailen scored once and added an assist and Kaden Goodwin notched his team-leading seventh playoff goal to lead the Fighting Walleye to the win.
Ryan Daponte and Ryan Doucette also tallied for the home side, who rode a 25-save shutout performance by Ashton Sadauskas, his second of the playoffs – after recording four in the regular season.
Ethan Neitsch faced 33 Fighting Walleye shots and stopped 28 of them.
Game 2 goes Monday night at Norwest.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Kam River, Daponte 3 (Fagnili, B. Bell) 14 :28 pp. Penalties: Hiltermann RLM (cross checking) 13:03, Salvatore KRW (hooking) 14:39, J. Sargent KRW (holding) 17:26.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 2. Kam River, Nailen 5 (Mintenko, Doucette) 10:13. 3. Kam River, Doucette 4 (Liang, Nailen) 13:28. Penalties: Gelderland RLM (charging) 13:49, Hiltermann RLM (unsportsmanlike conduct), Debray KRW (interference) 15:23, Poddubny KRW (slashing) 17:50.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: Kam River, Goodwin 7 (Fagnilli, B. Bell) 0:18. 8. Kam River, Poddubny 3 (Duchesne) 18:21. Penalties: Labelle KRW (holding) 5:08, van Engelen RLM (roughing) 8:39, Tauter RLM (slashing), S. Sargent KRW (slashing) 11:18, Watt RLM (roughing, misconuct), Debray KRW (roughing) 12:22, Gelderland RLM (roughing) 14:27.
GAME DATA – SOG – Red Lake 10-10-5-25, Kam River 8-12-13-33; Power plays (goals-chances) – Red Lake (0-4), Kam River (1-4); Goaltenders – Red Lake: Ethan Neitsch, Kam River: Ashton Sadauskas; A: 707.
