THUNDER BAY – Rob DeGagne says he didn’t care how many games it took for the Thunder Bay North Stars to advance.
The only thing that mattered was that the team moved on.
Thanks in large part to goaltender Keenan Marks, they did.
Marks made 31 Game 7 saves to stymie the upset-minded Fort Frances Lakers on Tuesday night, backing his team to a 4-0 win in the deciding game of their best-of-seven Superior International Junior Hockey League quarterfinal at Fort William Gardens.
“I don’t care if we win it in Game 4. I don’t care if we win it in Game 5, 6 or 7. We’ve just got to win,” said DeGagne, the Stars playing the first Game 7 at the Gardens in 16 years, when they tangled with and beat the Schreiber Diesels in the semifinal en route to a Bill Salonen Cup triumph.
“We always forget the other team wants to win too. They played very good against us. They trapped us up pretty good in the neutral zone and it seemed like they had our number, but our 20-year-olds really came to play tonight and it was good.”
Marks, one of the 20-year-olds, said the Stars were ready for whatever the Lakers had to throw at them.
“The team came out to play today. They put pucks in the back of the net, and I’m happy for that, and they played some defence today. It was good,” said Marks, after winning his 15th career SIJHL playoff game.
“It was Game 7. You’ve got to give it all you’ve got and hopefully the team plays good in front of me. They did today, they played awesome.”
Marks, who said he didn’t let up, even with a 4-0 lead in the final minute of play, added he breathed a huge sigh of relief when veteran blueliner Carter Anton stepped over the blue-line and fired a shot on net that eluded the grasp of Fort Frances goaltender Gunner Paradis, named the league’s most improved player for 2024-25.
“I might have smiled a little bit when that first one went in, but I was still dialled. I was waiting for those first two or three to go in before I starred getting comfortable … That last 40 seconds was probably the scariest moments of my life,” Marks said, the goal breaking a scoreless tie at 6:04 of the second period.
With one on the board, the North Stars then methodically worked their offensive magic and potted two more before the period came to a close.
Chance Loke doubled the Thunder Bay lead at 11:34 and Beau Helmeczi jumped on a bad bounce in the slot and fired the puck past Paradis with 4:09 to play in the period, giving the North Stars a 3-0 lead after 40 minutes.
The Lakers had a pair of power play opportunities in the third, but the North Stars managed to kill them off, dashing any hopes of a late-game miracle. Marcellus Francis put the game out of reach for good, ripping a shot from the left circle, the puck coming to him off a Max Mikus rebound.
Mikus, one of two affiliate players called up for the crucial contest, had a pair of assists. He’s the brother of former Thunder Bay star forward Easton Mikus, who last season set a record with six goals in a game.
Thunder Bay will battle with cross-town rival Kam River in Round 2 of the playoffs.
“We’ve got to go out there and we’ve got to compete every night. We can’t take nights off. That’s kind of what it is,” Marks said.
The Fighting Walleye finished off the Ironwood Lumberjacks in four games.
The Red Lake Miners will take on top-ranked Dryden in the other semifinal. Nathan Dann scored twice in the third and then finished it off with the overtime winner on Tuesday night, earning the Miners a 3-2 come-from-behind win over the defending champion Sioux Lookout Bombers.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: No scoring. Penalties: Exell FFL (hooking) 11:42, Bryson TB (interference) 13:09.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Thunder Bay, Anton (Mikus) 6:04. 2. Thunder Bay, Loke (Feist, Jordan) 11:34. 3. Thunder Bay, Helmeczi (unassisted) 15:51. Penalties: Caddo FFL (cross checking) 9:57, Mikus TB (holding) 13:31.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 4. Thunder Bay, Francis 2 (Jordan, Mikus) 16:47 pp. Penalties: Francis TB (interference) 10:25, Helmeczi TB (tripping) 13:50, Deschamps FFL (boarding) 15:39,
GAME DATA – SOG – Fort Frances 9-13-9-31, Thunder Bay 14-16-11-41; Power plays (goals-chances) – Fort Frances (0-4), Thunder Bay (1-3); Goaltenders – Fort Frances: Gunner Paradis, Thunder Bay: Keenan Marks; A: 1,282.
