OLIVER PAIPOONGE – Three weeks off and not a sign of rust.
It’s 21 days since the Kam River Fighting Walleye last took to game-time ice, but the Superior International Junior Hockey League favourites didn’t skip a beat on Saturday night in making their first playoff appearance of 2022-23.
The Fighting Walleye, playing in front of a capacity crowd at Norwest Arena, struck first in their best-of-seven semifinal series against the upstart Wisconsin Lumberjacks, fresh off an opening-round, seven-game upset over the expansion Sioux Lookout Bombers, winning four of the final five games to take the series 4-3.
SIJHL rookie-of-the-year Max Leduc needed all of 1:59 to put Kam River on the board, taking a cross-ice feed and burying a wrist shot past Wisconsin goaltender Kyler Lowden. Jack Cook, the league’s defenceman of the year, added a second goal 3:10 later and the Fighting Walleye never looked back, taking the opener 10-2.
“It was little bit tough. We had three weeks of practices and didn't really have any high-intensity games. Obviously they came off a seven-game series, so it was a little bit tough for them. We were rested and we got going,” said Leduc, a Thunder Bay native who put up 18 goals and 45 points in 46 games this season with the Fighting Walleye.
Cook added two more in the second to complete the hat trick, part of a six-goal middle stanza the blew the game open, the Fighting Walleye scoring four straight to open the period before Simon Davidson stole the puck from Kam River defenceman Brayden Bell and walked in alone on goaltender Eric Vanska, beating him high on his glove side to cut the score to 6-1.
“We tried to keep it simple for the first half of the game. We played our game ... and did the right things. The goals just came from there and we just took control,” Cook said.
"Thanks to my teammates and the guys on the power-play unit. The first goal was a nice read and then there was a terrible play by the Wisconsin guy. But then there was nice plays by my guys on the power play on the other two."
The Fighting Walleye, carrying a 2-0 lead into the second, were relentless to start the middle frame. Leduc struck first, picking up the puck in the slot and using a quick release to rip it past Lowden. Fifty-three seconds later it was Braeden Duchesne who grabbed a rebound, with Lowden on his back, and lifted it high into the open net for a 4-0 Kam River lead.
The goals kept coming.
Four minutes later Noah Kramps upped the Fighting Walleye lead, and then Cook notched his second of the night, needing just 38 seconds to fire a snap shot from the right circle.
The goals chased Lowden, who stopped 20 of 26 shots, replaced by William Forrester.
The Fighting Walleye added two more before the period came to a close, Cook and Euan Morrison adding to the Lumberjacks misery.
Wisconsin, down 8-1, did get one back before the second ended, Davidson burying a rebound behind Eric Vanska, his fourth goal of the playoffs.
Riley Borody and Ethan Lang rounded out the scoring in the third.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series goes Monday night at Norwest Arena.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Kam River, Leduc 1 (Kinnavanthang, Dunmore) 1:59. 2. Kam River, Cook 1 (unassisted) 5:09. Penalties: Flynn WIS (interference) 5:33, Kayser WIS (interferences) 8:01, Olsen WIS. Pufahl KRW (cross checking) 15:27.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 3. Kam River, Leduc 2 (Dunmore, Pufahl) 1:33. 4. Kam River, Duchesne 1 (Oviedo, Sedgwick) 2:26. 5. Kam River, Kramps 1 (Braham, E. Lang) 6:33. Kam River, Cook 2 (Lamoureux, Dunmore) 7:11. 7. Wisconsin, Davidson 3 (unassisted) 8:59. 8. Kam River, Cook 3 (Lamoureux, Dunmore) 11:02 pp. 9. Kam River, Morrison 1 (Borody, Morton) 11:47. 10. Wisconsin, Davidson 4 (McMillen, Phillips) 12:52. Penalties: Carson KRW (cross checking) 6:54, McClure WIS (high sticking) 7:56, Borody KRW (unsportsmanlike conduct) 8:43, Carson KRW, E. Lang KRW (unsportsmanlike conduct) 11:02.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 11. Kam River, Borody 1 (Kramps, Bell) 7:12. 12. Kam River, E. Lang 1 () 12:59. Penalties: LeRoy WIS (high sticking) 7:06, Duchesne KRW, Morton KRW, Flynn WIS (rounging) 13:31, Morrison KRW (roughing) 16:49.
GAME DATA – SOG – Wisconsin 7-13-13-33. Kam River 16-19-14-49; Power plays (goals-chances) – Wisconsin (0-2), Kam River (3-6); Goaltenders – Wisconsin: Kyler Lowden (26 shots, 20 saves), William Forrester (7:11, second), Kam River: Eric Vanska; A: 745.
