November 12, 2021
Thunder Bay, ON
Week #9 of the SIJHL schedule kicks off tonight which will mark the return of Canadian competition to play in the USA for the first time in 617 days!
Thunder Bay North Stars at Wisconsin Lumberjacks
The Thunder Bay North Stars visit Spooner Wisconsin to take on the Wisconsin Lumberjacks on Friday and Saturday nights, 7:30pm Central time.
The Lumberjacks will look to carry the momentum of a weekend sweep over the Thief River Falls Norskies last weekend, while the North Stars are looking to get back into the form which had them in first place in the standings for much of the first month of the season before faltering of late. They lost all 3 games on their road trip through Dryden and Red Lake last weekend.
Hot hands for the Lumberjacks are Brock Weimer and Salvatore Poggiali who have each recorded 6 points over the last two weekends. Weimer is tied for the league lead with 5 goals over that span plus a helper, while Poggiali has chipped in with 3 goals and 3 assists.
The North Stars have struggled to find the twine over the last two weekends, but team captain Hunter Forshew has been doing his part with a goal and 2 assists over the last 4 games.
Kam River Fighting Walleye at Fort Frances Lakers
It will be a home and home weekend for two teams that are surging of late. The weekend will kick off for these teams on Friday night in Fort Frances (7:30pm CDT) at Ice For Kids Arena before returning to Norwest Arena in Oliver Paipoonge (7:30pm EDT) for the rematch on Saturday.
The Fighting Walleye have reeled in 7 wins in a row dating back to October 16, including a 4-2 win over the Lakers in the first meeting of the season between the teams on October 29. They are looking to close the gap on the first place Red Lake Miners who are idle this weekend.
The offence for the Fish has been by committee with five players having hit the 10-point plateau already, led by veteran player Alex Enegren who’s put up 13 points (5g, 8a) through the team’s first 11 games.
The Lakers, winners of two of their last three, will look to continue the positive trend. Relative newcomer Ty Milgate has made his presence known, netting three goals in three games since having been acquired in a trade from Red Lake.
Dryden Ice Dogs at Thief River Falls Norskies
This weekend will also mark the return of the Ice Dogs to the US side of the border when they make their way to Thief River Falls to take on the Norskies. The series – delayed a day on account of inclement weather in the region – will go on Saturday night, 7:30pm CST and a Sunday matinee at noon CST.
The visiting Dogs will look to establish some consistency after an up-and-down start to the season. The solid play the Dryden side has shown at times has not always translated into wins but they’re looking to change that on the road this weekend.
1-3-0 in their last 4 games, Tristan Takats will be leading the way who has put up 15 points (5g, 10a) in 9 games since joining the Ice Dogs. League leading scorer Maxime Collette is expected to miss the series with an injury suffered last weekend against Kam River.
The Norskies continued their season last weekend, dropping a pair of physical games in Wisconsin to the Lumberjacks 5-3 and 3-1 on Friday and Saturday respectively. It will mark their first opponent other than the Lumberjacks this season, and Coach Bates is active continuing to build his roster.
Catch this weekend’s games, and all the SIJHL action on HockeyTV.