OLIVER PAIPOONGE – The Fort Frances Lakers gave the Kam River Fighting Walleye a run, but ran out of steam in the end.
The Fighting Walleye scored four straight in the fourth to blow open a 2-2 contest at the Norwest Arena and went on to down the Lakers 6-2, Kam River’s Braeden Duchesne leading the charge with three goals and an assist on the night.
Jeremy Dunmore, Easton Debray and Sam Sargent also scored for the Fighting Walleye (16-3-0), winners of two straight Superior International Junior Hockey League contests.
Brady Krentz, who scored the lone goal of the second, and Josh Greene, who tied the game 2-2 just 40 seconds into the third, had the Lakers goals.
Travis VanderZwaag made 30 saves to earn the win between the pipes for Kam River, while former Fighting Walleye netminder Jack Orchard was victimized six times on 54 shots and was tagged with the loss.
Orchard was a member of last season’s Bill Salonen Cup champion Fighting Walleye squad.
Dryden 5, Thunder Bay 4: Ryland Maier scored midway through the third period to lift the Ice Dogs (13-8-1) past the North Stars, who had scored twice in the first seven minutes of the final stanza to turn what had been a 4-0 game into a 4-4 tie. It was Maier’s second goal of the night. McLaren Paulsen also had a pair for Dryden. Dimitri Trahiotis, Cameron Dial, E.J. Paddington and Keagan Jones had the Thunder Bay goals.
Red Lake 9, Kenora 2: Noah Trenney scored twice to lead the Miners past the expansion Islanders, losers of 17 straight.
