THUNDER BAY – Perseverance and a powerful penalty kill have the Sioux Lookout Bombers on the verge of an appearance in their first Bill Salonen Cup final.
Owen Cotter scored the shorthanded overtime winner on Monday night, completing the Bombers miraculous comeback from a three-goal deficit after two periods and earned the visitors a stunning 4-3 win over the Thunder Bay North Stars.
The triumph gives the second-year Bombers a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven semifinal series, which they can wrap up with a Game 4 win on Tuesday night at Fort William Gardens.
It was the second of two shorthanded goals the Bombers tallied on the night, Cobe Delaney wiring a shot through traffic with just 64 seconds left in regulation to send the game to an extra frame, the North Stars paying the price for dilly-dallying in their own end on the power play.
“It was big. Our goaltender kept us in it, made some big saves,” said Cotter, the defensive player of the year, talking about netminder Jack Osmond, who on Monday was named the Superior International Junior Hockey League goaltender of the year.
“We capitalized on our chances when we got them toward the end there.”
The message to the team was simple as they hit the ice for the third, trailing 3-0, in a rink they had yet to win at in four regular-season appearances this season.
“We just had to play our best period and bring it up, try to finish off this game,” Cotter said.
Sioux Lookout coach Carson Johnstone said the Bombers were optimistic, but as time ticked down and the Stars lead remained at two, it wasn’t looking promising.
“You just chip away, little by little,” he said. “It’s playoff hockey and you never know what can happen, right? That’s just a hell of a night to be a part of. I’m really proud of them.”
Flipping the script on the game in the third was enormous. Instead of returning to the rink on Tuesday up 2-1 in the series, and yet to win a game at the Gardens, the Bombers punched a hole in any North Stars momentum.
Johnston admitted the situation was starting to look bleak on the bench.
“We lost four games in this rink this year, we were down 3-0 in the doldrums and it kind of felt the same. But to get a win, and actually in that fashion, is enormous. It probably turns the tide for us in this building,” Johnstone said.
For 40 minutes, despite being out-shot, it was the North Stars who looked destined for the win.
Captain Edison Weeks, who led the SIJHL in points during the regular season, scored five seconds into Thunder Bay’s first power play, awarded just 31 seconds after the opening puck drop.
Alex Remenda doubled the North Stars lead at 9:37 of the first, punching home a rebound on the backhand. Weeks grabbed a juicy rebound about four-and-a-half minutes later and buried it behind Osmond from the left circle and Thunder Bay looked like they were in business.
Trever Sanderson finally solved Keenan Marks, taking a pass from Owen Cotter in the corner and found the twine, cutting Thunder Bay’s lead to 2-1. Blake Burke rang one off the post and in at the 17:14 mark of the third and Delaney got the equalizer 1:42 later, setting the stage for Cotter to win it in OT.
“I saw Delaney chip it out and I just didn’t really much think about it. I just started skating and got open when I could,” Cotter said.
The Bombers outshot the Stars 45-35 on the night.
Game 4 is slated for 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Thunder Bay, Weeks 5 (Paddington, Skillestad) 0:36 pp. Penalties: Bull SLB (cross checking) 0:31, Bear TB (check from behind, game misconduct) 3:31, Palmer SLB (holding) 7:23, Tangedal TB (tripping) 9:47.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 2. Thunder Bay, Remenda (Larrett) 10:23. 3. Thunder Bay Weeks 6 (Bailey, Mikus) 14:04. Penalties: Buffone TB (interference) 1:44, Helmeczi TB (roughing) 7:45, Larrett TB (holding) 15:54, Lone SLB (cross checking) 17:09.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 4. Sioux Lookout, Sanderson 3 (Cotter, Delaney) 7:12. 5. Sioux Lookout, B. Burke (Lone) 17:14. 6. Sioux Lookout, Delaney 4 (Lucas) 18:56 sh. Penalties: Skillestad TB (slashing) 0:23, Sanderson SLB (slashing, misconduct) 17:39.
OVERTIME
Scoring: Sioux Lookout, Cotter 5 (Delaney) 1:55 sh. Penalties: Palmer SLB (tripping) 1:05.
GAME DATA – SOG – Sioux Lookout 18-11-15-1-45, Thunder Bay 12-12-11-0-35; Power plays (goals-chances) – Sioux Lookout (0-6), Thunder Bay (1-4); Goaltenders – Sioux Lookout: Jack Osmond, Thunder Bay: Keenan Marks; A: 716.
