THUNDER BAY — The Kenora Thistle knew they’d be in tough at the 2023 All-Ontario U13 AAA Championship.
Just maybe not quite this tough.
The Nickel City Sons rolled over the Kenora Thistles on Wednesday afternoon, scoring five in the first and four more in the second en route to a 10-0 win at Fort William Gardens.
Preston Hebert scored twice and added an assist for Nickel City, a Sudbury-based team that captured the Northern Ontario Hockey Association championship to earn a berth at provincials. Dacey Dupuis also had a goal and two assists for the Sons, with Ty Imbeau making nine saves to pick up the shutout in nets.
For the Thistles, it was a learning experience, said coach Ryan Bowen.
“We learned that these teams are fast,” Bowen said. “We’ve got to play up to their speed. The first couple of periods there, we didn’t play to their speed. We didn’t play as aggressive as they did. Then the third period came around and we got a lot better once we figured out we needed to play a faster game, a tougher game.
“The third period was only a 1-0 game, so I thought we learned as the game went on.”
Kenora goalie Maddox Boutette didn’t have a lot of help in this one, the Sons firing double-digit shots at him in each period — the teams playing 15-minute frames during the seven-team tournament.
Despite the one-sided nature of their opener, Bowen said he’s still got some pretty high expectations for the team, who will take on host Thunder Bay on Wednesday night.
“We knew we were going to be in tough coming into this tournament. We had talked about that. We’re here for the experience and to let the boys see what else is out there. Our expectation for our next game is to play the way we did in this past period.”
After Hebert opened the scoring at 2:48 of the first, Nickel City’s offense found its top gear at the midway point of the period.
Cooper Niquet, Dupuis and Seth Verbiwiski each scored in a 37-second span, the Sons blowing open a 1-0 contest to lead 4-0. Verbiwiski added a second goal of the afternoon with 15 seconds left in the period.
Dupuis and Hebert added to the Nickel City lead early in the second, scoring 82 seconds apart, Dupuis’ coming on the power play. Owen Angus and Greyson Hnatiuk added two more before the period wound down.
Jackson Mean wrapped up the scoring, beating Boutette at 5:36 of the third, firing it high on the beleaguered Kenora goaltender.
Kenora's best chance came in the final minute of play, when Hodges found himself in alone on Imbeau, only to be stuffed on the scoring attempt.
Next up for Nickel City is a match against the Sun County Panthers on Thursday at 10 a.m.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Nickel City, Hebert (Mead) 2:48. 2. Nickel City, Niquet (Dupuis) 10:21. 3. Nickel City, Dupuis (Cuzinatot, Angus) 10:48. 4. Nickel City, Verbiwiski (Hnatiuk) 10:58. 5. Nickel City, Verbiwiski (unassisted) 14:45. Penalties: None.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 6. Nickel City, Dupuis (Hebert) 3:28 pp. 7. Nickel City, Hebert (Mead) 4:50. 8. Nickel City, Angus (unassisted) 10:21. 9. Nickel City, Hnatiuk (Christakos, Verbiwiski) 14:35. Penalties: Bowen KEN (cross checking) 1:54, Hodges KEN (cross checking) 8:17.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 10. Nickel City, Mead (Angus) 5:36. Penalties: Moen KEN (tripping) 2:52,
GAME DATA – SOG – Nickel City 14-14-12-40, Kenora 5-3-1-9; Power plays (goals-chances) – Nickel City (1-3), Kenora (0-0); Goaltenders – Nickel City: Ty Imbeau, Kenora: Maddox Boutette.
