THUNDER BAY – The Thunder Bay North Stars didn’t expect the be the team that snapped the Kenora Islanders 28-game losing skid.
It was bound to happen at some point, but the surging Stars had won seven in a row and were looking to gain grown in the increasingly crowded Superior International junior Hockey League standings.
A 3-1 loss on Friday night put those plans on hold, but the North Stars weren’t about to make the same mistake twice.
Dimitri Trahiotis and Alex Remenda scored twice apiece on Saturday night to pace the North Stars to an 8-2 win over the visiting Islanders at Fort William Gardens, while captain and league-leading point-getter Edison Weeks piled up three more assists.
Thunder Bay scored four times in the first 15:33 of the contest and led 6-2 after two periods. Beau Helmeczi, Eric Sheriff, Tyler Jordan and Cohen Tangedal also scored for the North Stars.
Ezekiel Kirkness and John Paul Scaringi had the Kenora tallies.
Ben Laurette was good on 21 of 23 shots to pick up the win in nets for Thunder Bay, while Connor Dunham Fox and Matthew Stephens split duties in the Kenora goal.
Thunder Bay improved to 23-10-3, tied for second with Kam River (24-9-1), who hold two games in hand.
The two teams will wrap up their three-game set on Sunday afternoon at the Gardens. Game time is 1:30 p.m.
Sioux Lookout 4, Kam River 1: Owen Riffel scored twice and the Bombers salvaged a weekend split, taking three of four possible points from the Fighting Walleye, who edged Sioux Lookout in overtime the night before. Daxton Lang had the only Kam River goal.
Wisconsin 7, Fort Frances 6: Dillon Phillips and Ryan Kayser scored in the final four minutes of regulation to force overtime and William McDonnel won it in the extra stanza with his third of the year. The Lakers (7-23-4) led 5-3 after two period.
Dryden 3, Red Lake 2: Carson Devine scored the equalizer midway through the second and the game-winner with 5:18 to play in regulation to earn the Ice Dogs the win.
