Oliver Paipoonge, ON – The Kam River Fighting Walleye ended the Sioux Lookout Bombers’ modest 3-game win streak on Saturday night, with a total team effort from start to finish.

The game was filled with emotion and intensity, and that emotion boiled over at times with the Walleye handing the Bombers 13 powerplay opportunities. The Kam River penalty killing unit, led by netminder Eric Vanska, was able to hold Sioux Lookout to just 2 tallies with the man-advantage.

The Walleye opened the scoring midway through the first period, when Euan Morrison, left wide open in the slot, completed a nice passing play by Jeremy Dunmore and Ryan Doucette. It was Morrison’s 5th goal of the season. The score remained 1-0 into the first intermission.

Max Buffone, with his first junior hockey goal, doubled the Walleye lead at the 10-minute mark of the second period. Just 28 seconds later, Max Leduc slammed the puck home to give the home team a 3-goal advantage. It was the 5th goal of the season for the 16-year-old forward. The hard-working Bombers wouldn’t go away quietly. Tegan Neuman and Lucas Trimarchi scored powerplay goals late in the frame, and it looked like the visiting team had captured the momentum heading into the final period. But with less than a minute left in the second, a Jack Cook wrist shot, into the top corner from the top of the circle, grabbed the momentum back for the Walleye.

The third period opened with a Logan Gallaher goal to restore Kam River’s 3-goal lead. Just minutes later, however, Tegan Neuman scored his second of the night, and fifth of the season, to shrink the lead back to 2. The Walleye bared down defensively for the rest of the game, allowing the Bombers just 9 shots in the final frame. Mackenzie Sedgwick scored a pretty breakaway goal, while short-handed, to cement the victory for the Fish.

Eric Vanska was spectacular between the pipes for Kam River, turning aside 34 of 37 shots, many of them high-danger attempts while Sioux Lookout had a man-advantage. The win was Vanska’s 8th of the season.

The Fighting Walleye travel to Spooner, Wisconsin on Wednesday for a date with the Lumberjacks. Sioux Lookout next hosts Dryden at home on Saturday night, November 12th.

G and G Excavating 3 Stars

3rd Star – Eric Vanska (KRW)

2nd Star – Max Buffone (KRW)

1st Star – Euan Morrison (KRW)

Scoring Summary

1st Period

7:53 KRW  Morrison (5)  Asst: Doucette, Dunmore

2nd Period

10:39 KRW  Buffone (1)  Asst: Morrison, Leduc

11:07 KRW  Leduc (5)  Asst: Egner

17:04 SLB  Neuman (4) PP  Asst: Bahm, Bl. Burke

18:28 SLB  Trimarchi (6) PP  Asst: Riffel, A. Parker

19:04 KRW  Cook (4)  Asst: Dunmore, Doucette

3rd Period

2:20 KRW  Gallaher (5)  Asst: Bell

3:47 SLB  Neuman (5)  Asst: P. Parker, Roy

13:34 KRW  Sedgwick (2) SH  Asst: None

Shots on Goal

Kam River Fighting Walleye: 52

Sioux Lookout Bombers: 37