By Tanner Schafer
Spooner, WI – The Sioux Lookout Bombers won their 3rd straight game to open the season, pulling away from the Wisconsin Lumberjacks in the 2nd period last night.
Wisconsin got off to an ideal start in their home opener with rookies Nolan Fowler and Jack Carruthers getting them on the board just 2 minutes into the 1st. Carruthers find the puck in the corner and put it on Fowlers tape in front of the goal for an early 1-0 lead. Sioux Lookout would answer over halfway through the period finding the evener on the man advantage. A nice passing play left Connor Burke with a tap in goal assisted by Blake Burke and Dayvan Bull. Just over a minute later Ryan Kayser would make a great individual effort skating the puck end to end and beating goalie Jack Osmond to regain the lead. The last goal of the period would make it a 2-2 tie as the Bombers found another tally on the power play. This one was scored by Owen Riffel after Blake Burke gloved down a loose puck in the front of the net, the official determining he didn’t posses it and allowing play to continue.
The 2nd Period was controlled from the jump by the Bombers. An already young Lumberjacks team lost veteran Simon Davidson to injury and was forced to change around the forward lines. The Forward line of Riffel and the Burkes of Sioux Lookout took advantage scoring 2 more goals. The first was scored by Connor with assists to Blake and Riffel. The 2nd was off the stick of Riffel with Blake getting the lone assist, his 4th of the night. The Bombers also lost a tap in goal on a quick whistle that would have made it 5-2.
Despite not scoring in the 3rd period the Bombers controlled the pace of play throughout the period outshooting Wisconsin 8-2 and not even giving the Lumberjacks a chance to pull the goalie late in the frame.
Jack Osmond got the win in goals for the Bombers stopping 24 of 26. William Forrester saved 34 of the 38 shots he faced.
1st Star Blake Burke 0G, 4A
2nd Star Owen Riffel – 2G, 1A
3rd Star Nolan Fowler – 1G, 0A