RED LAKE, Ont. – The Red Lake Miners stormed back from a two-goal deficit and countered with five unanswered tallies in the back half of the contest to defeat the slumping Thunder Bay North Stars 5-2 in Superior International Junior Hockey League action Saturday at Cochenour Arena.
Having lost four straight entering the contest, Thunder Bay got off to a good start when Jacob Anttonen deflected in a Logan Milhalcin point shot during a first period power play.
The North Stars then went up by a pair 33 seconds into the middle stanza as Hunter Foreshew fired in his first SIJHL tally to put the guests up by a pair.
Red Lake cut into the deficit midway through frame as Ryan Patterson capitalized via the man advantage going upstairs from close range on Thunder Bay starter Jordan Smith.
Some nice passing then helped the Miners tack on two more later in the session as Morgan Venne and Jordan Baranesky put the hosts up 3-2 after two.
In the third, Red Lake got some insurance moments after a two-man advantage ended where Ryan Howe banged in his ninth of the season from the left of the North Stars net.
The Miners then completed the comeback in the late going when Ethan Stuckless was credited with an empty net effort to round out the evening scoring.
Howe and Spencer Milne chipped in with two assists in the triumph.
Zach Willms, making his return to the Red Lake lineup, made 34 saves to record the win helping his side move to within five points of first place Thunder Bay in the league standings while also holding a game in hand as the improved to 12-7-0-1 overall.
Smith stopped 31 in defeat for the North Stars, who have now dropped five straight games as their record slipped to 14-5-2-0 on the season.
Photo credit: Patrick Boucha