Bombers Score A Goal, Beat North Stars

By Gary Moskalyk

Thunder Bay, ON – Owen Riffel scored shorthanded at 11:19 of the second period and Red Lake goalie Jake Manners made it stand up as the Bombers took a 1-0 playoff-style decision over the North Stars at the Gardens.

Riffel intercepted a pass in the Red Lake zone and rumbled down the right side from his own blue-line to beat Conner Lemieux with his 15th goal of the year.

The shorthanded tally was only Thunder Bay’s second allowed of the year.

Manners picked up his second shutout of the year making 34 saves. He has 14 wins against eight losses and a shootout loss and leads the SI in minutes.

Lemieux made 34 saves in the loss.  

Both goalies improved their stats. Manners sports a 2.59 GAA and .922 SV%, while Lemieux checks in at 2.84 and .926.

Sioux Lookout was 0-3 on the powerplay while Thunder Bay was 0-2.

Thunder Bay pulled Lemieux at 18:41 of the third but could crack Manners. The Bombers took three of four points on the weekend and are undefeated in five games. They’re two points behind Dryden for second place.

Sioux Lookout’s next game is a home contest against the second-place Ice Dogs on Wednesday, Jan. 18. Thunder Bay goes cross-border shopping to Spooner, WI for a game against the Lumberjacks on the same day.