By Tanner Schafer
It was a late start in Spooner as Kenora had buss issues, and it was a slow start for the Lumberjacks before eventually handling the Islanders 10-3.
It was a quick start as Kenora jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a power play goal 2 minutes into the period. Braden Swampy took the puck into the zone on the rush and beat Rylan Freshwater for the game’s first goal. It didn’t last long as the Lumberjacks answered with a power play goal of their own a few minutes later. Nolan Fowler found the back of the net aided by Zach Johnson and Dillon Phillips. Just 1 minute later Kenora would reclaim the lead as Grady Priest looked to ice the puck but got a wild bounce off the boards that ended up in the net making it 2-1. The teams were stalemated for most of the rest of the period before Johnson scored for Wisconsin sending the game to the 1st break tied at 2.
Kenora started the 2nd period much like the 1st taking advantage of a Wisconsin turnover and converting it into a goal. Just over a minute in it was Braden Mackay making it 3-2. From that point on it was all Wisconsin as they would score 8 unanswered goals. In the 2nd period Nolan Fowler would finish off his hat trick with 2 more goals, Johnson scored his 2nd of the game, Simon Davidson and Kaden Postal scored as well. Postal got hit in the back after scoring to make it 7-2 and John Paul Scaringi was ejected for the misdeed.
Wisconsin would add their last 3 tallies in the 3rd period with Fowler scoring again, Johnson completing his hat trick, and Sutton Majeske getting his 1st goal in a Lumberjacks uniform. The last period also had fireworks with 3 players ejected for fighting, Kaden Postal of the Jacks, as well as Chance Travers and Jayden McPherson-Nepinak of Kenora. Rylan Freshwater got the win, with 24 saves on 27 shots. Kaden King and Connor Dunham-Fox split time in net combining for 60 saves. The two teams will play again on Saturday.
1st Star – Nolan Fowler, 4 goals
2nd Star – Zach Johnson, 3 goals and 2 assists
3rd Star – Dillon Phillips, 5 assists