Skyhawks and Tigers face off (game recap)

If tonight was any indication as to how the North Bay Skyhawks will fair this season; fans are in for a real treat. A solid performance by goaltender Ian Wilson, mixed with a tight checking defensive performance and a five goal outburst offensively all contributed toward a 5-2 victory over the defending National Champion Aurora Tigers. The Skyhawks had built a 4-0 lead and were able to hang on as the Tigers pressed late in the game.

The real game story happened at approximately the seven minute mark of the first period. As the clock flickered and buzzed like you would see in a horror movie, the power suddenly went out on the scoreboard and for the remainder of the game it was up to the PA announcer to update fans on the time that should have been showing on the clock. It seemed as though the power lost in the clock may have been injected into the Skyhawks offence as five minutes after the issue had started Zack Clarke opened the scoring when he put home a juicy rebound off the pad of Tigers goalie Matt Beirnes. Less than two minutes later the Skyhawks would pad their lead thanks to a Justin Roy goal, and the Skyhawks would carry a 2-0 lead into the intermission.

The second period was one filled with penalties. Although neither team was able to capitalize on the power play, they had their chances. With five minutes left in the second period there had already been a total of fourteen minor penalties handed out. The only scoring came from the stick of Kody Carnevale at the 17:16 mark, giving North Bay a 3-0 lead heading into the third.

The announced attendance of 1130 saw the Skyhawks give themselves a four goal cushion at the 7:30 mark of the third period when Scott Briton was able to bulge the twine. Although it was a tough hill to climb; the Tigers gave a valiant effort in their attempts at a comeback. The Tigers got goals from Mark Thorburn and Connor McGarry with less than seven minutes remaining to cut the Skyhawks lead in half. However Jordan Carroll would net a late empty net goal to give North Bay a 5-2 victory. After the game Head Coach Darren Turcotte talked about beating the defending National Champions.

“Overall we played very good,” said Turcotte in regards to the evening’s performance.

“We had a couple of mistakes but nothing major. We battled hard, competed well; the guys in the room know we have a good core. Beating Aurora was a good measuring stick, like us they are going to get better as the season goes on, but beating these guys was big for the guys in the locker room.”

Turcotte was also impressed with the play of Skyhawks goaltender Ian Wilson who was outstanding throughout the night.

“He’s a real competitive guy. He’s the last guy off the ice and the first guy into the gym. I really think he’s going to have a great season. We are in good shape if he keeps playing the way he did tonight,” said Turcotte.

The Skyhawks will open up their regular season at home Sunday September 9th. The Skyhawks will face the Soo Thunderbirds at the Memorial Gardens, face off is scheduled for 7 pm.

No injury concerns

A trio of Skyhawks were listed as injured heading into the final exhibition game Thursday evening. Kyle Radigan, David Ciminelli, and Cory Park were all absent from the lineup. Following the game, Turcotte put to rest any concerns fans may have about those players.

“We will be healthy for Sunday’s game. It was more of a precaution to leave the guys out tonight, but they all have injuries that they should be able to play through,” said Turcotte.

New faces out, new faces in

Last week the Skyhawks had welcomed Dominic Chapelli, and Aliaksei Kulikouskiy into their lineup; and this week they bid goodbye while they welcomed two more new faces. Thursday night the Skyhawks inserted Dustin Fummerton and Jason Pacheco into their lineup.

Fummerton played last season for the Schreiber Diesels who participated in the Dudley Hewitt Cup. Fummerton had scored eight points in five games at the Cup and had a huge regular season notching 95 points in 48 games. Turcotte bluntly stated what he expects from Fummerton this year.

“If he isn’t a top six forward for us, then we are in the wrong league,” said Turcotte.

Pacheco spent last season playing for the Eugene Generals.

As for the two players who are no longer with the Skyhawks, word following the game is that Chapelli is off to try out for a team in Europe, and that there were some eligibility issues which arose with Kulikouskiy.

North Bay connection

Aurora Tigers forward Mark Thorburn, who opened the scoring for the Tigers, is the brother of former North Bay Centennial Chris Thorburn. Following the game Thorburn took time to talk about watching his brother play here in North Bay.

“I used to drive up with my dad to come watch him play. The fans here have always been great. It was a good feeling to get a chance to play in this arena, and it was obviously nice to get a goal. My brother was the type of player who never gave up, always worked hard, and he deserves everything he has achieved,” said Thorburn.

He also commented on the Skyhawks.

“They are a great team, and they showed that out there tonight. They are physical and very talented. It seemed like they were always on you as soon as you got the puck. They are a team with a lot of heart.”