North Stars bounce back with 4-0 win in game three

He shielded the puck on his backhand before pulling it to his forehand at the bottom of the face-off circle and roofing a shot over Newton to make it 2-0 just over halfway through the period.

The North Stars weren’t done there, as their power play finally clicked. The second-ranked man’s advantage during the regular season has struggled in the post-season, going just 4-for-38 heading into Tuesday’s game.

While on a power play, Dustin Gorgi rifled a shot from the bottom of the right faceoff circle over the shoulder of Newton, to make it 3-0 with 4:43 left in the opening frame.

The goal also spelled the end of the night for Newton, as he gave up three goals on 11 shots, the first time he was pulled in a game since February 9. The Bombers have confidence in their backup goaltender however, as Zac Robidoux won the RBC Cup with the Portage Terriers last season. Robidoux would finish with 35 saves.

The North Stars power play connected again late in the second period, and once again it was Gorgi scoring the goal. Baxter Kanter took the puck on the goal line, blocker side on Robidoux. He tried to jam the puck in on his backhand, and Gorgi was there to clean up the garbage, knocking home his third of the playoffs with 53 seconds left in the period.

In the third period, the game got chippy. With each passing minute, the frustration of the Bombers seemed to mount, as they couldn’t solve Tyler Fuhr, who would finish with 34 saves for his first career SJHL playoff shutout.

With just over seven minutes left in the game, Kanter threw a big hit along the boards in the Bombers zone, which drew a crowd. Adam Wilson came in and immediately dropped his gloves to defend his teammate. Wilson had the jump on Kanter, as he was feeding the North Stars forward with uppercuts before Kanter was able to get his gloves off and knocked Wilson to the ice with one big right-handed punch.

The play resulted in four-on-four for nearly the greater portion of the remaining time on the clock, as Wilson was given five for fighting, while Kanter was given the double minor for roughing. The North Stars offensive chances continued through the third, none finer than Kendall Fransoo hitting the goal post on a one-timer from the point, but they were unable to find the back of the net again.

The win was the North Stars first in Flin Flon since October 11, 2014. The Bombers lead in the series has now been cut to 2-1, and the North Stars will try and make it a best-of-three series on Wednesday, April 6 in game four. The win ensures the North Stars will get at least one more home game at the Civic Centre, that will be Saturday, April 9.

cbeauchemin@jpbg.ca

by Craig Beauchemin

North Stars bounce back with 4-0 win in game three

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