The Superior League season continues as the Fighting Walleye skate with the North Stars inside the Fort William Gardens at 7:30 p.m.
Heading into tonight’s contest the Teleco Cup is all tied at four points each with the Fighting Walleye winning both games last weekend. If either team sweeps the games this weekend they’ll clinch the Teleco Cup.
Fighting Walleye Head Coach Matt Valley, who is a former member of the North Stars himself, is excited to be back in the Gardens but stresses Friday is just another game.
“The rink is a little different [than the NorWest Arena] but I think, [at the end of the day] it’s not that much different than a lot of rinks that kids played on growing up. I think we just have to play right and not worry about the rink. We just need to focus on playing our game and the rest will take care of itself,” adds Valley.
In games five and six, the Fighting Walleye skaters scored nine times while the North Stars players only managed four goals during the two games.
On the injury front, goaltender Jordan Smith might be back in the crease for Thunder Bay as he’s been out with a foot injury.
North Stars Head Coach Rob DeGagne wants to see his group in green, black and white play with a little more enthusiasm.
“We played like we were the expansion team and not the team that won the year before. We need some secondary scoring, we need some other guys to put the puck in the net. It seems like [Nikolas] Campbell and [Jacob] Anttonen have carried us offensively so we need other guys to step up and play a little better,” says DeGagne.
Game time is 7:30 p.m. To view the game you can click here
Last Game At The Gardens
March 6th (273 days ago) the North Stars skated to a 6-5 overtime win over the Fort Frances Lakers. Eleven days later the city closed the facility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Rules (Fort William Gardens)
- No outside food or drink with the exception of bottled water
- Concessions won’t be open
- Each team is allowed a maximum of 25 spectators
- Each person will be screened upon entry
- You must wear a mask
- Keep socially distant
- Regularly wash and sanitize hands
The Schedule
Game 1: North Stars 5 Fighting Walleye 4
Game 2: North Stars 4 Fighting Walleye 2
Game 3: North Stars 7 Fighting Walleye 4
Game 4: North Stars 7 Fighting Walleye 2
Game 5: Fighting Walleye 6 North Stars 2
Game 6: Fighting Walleye 3 North Stars 2
Game 7: Friday December 4th Fighting Walleye @ North Stars
Game 8: Saturday December 5th Fighting Walleye @ North Stars