THUNDER BAY – This past weekend three Thunder Bay Kings’ clubs took to the ice on the road in a pair of tournaments with the under-13; U14 and U15 squads all seeing on-ice action and finishing up with a combined 6-6-1 overall record.
The U15s went 3-1 and the U14s were 1-2-1 as they both took part in the Oakville Winter Classic, while the U13 Kings wrapped competition going 2-3 at the Minnesota Gone Wild event in Blaine, Minn.
GAME RECAPS
OAKVILLE WINTER CLASSIC
Brantford 99ers 5, U15 Kings 1 – Alex Simeoni notched the lone Thunder Bay tally in their opener, with help from Cullen McCormack and Colin McDonald.
Declan Hunter led Brantford offensively with two goals, including the game-winner, and an assist.
U15 Kings 2, Niagara North Stars 1 – Bentlee Wiwcharyk and McCormack were the goal-getters for the Kings in the triumph versus Niagara while Declan Scott picked up the win in net.
U15 Kings 3, Chatham-Kent Cyclones 2 – Leading the team to victory was McDonald, who scored twice, featuring one on the difference maker, and set-up Aidan Lane for the other in the triumph.
Earning the decision between the pipes was Maddox Boutette.
U15 Kings 7, London Jr. Knights 1 – A well-balanced effort saw the Kings wrap-up their tournament with a convincing win over London.
Simeoni potted a pair, while Lucas DeGroot; Luke Ritson; Matthew Koch; McDonald; McCormack supplied singles in the victory.
Earning the win was Scott.
U14 Kings 5, Central Ontario Wolves 1 – Lucas Ianni had two markers as the Kings tamed the Wolves.
Also scoring for Thunder Bay were Jones Kochan; Jackson Bradley and Kaden Clower while Laird Morden picked up the win in goal.
Belle Tire 3, U14 Kings 0 – Elliot Hewell posted the shutout for the Michigan-based side, who got markers in each period as part of the triumph.
Corey Cava was solid in net for the Kings despite the setback.
Oakville Rangers 5, U14 Kings 2 – The host Rangers broke open a one-goal game with two third period tallies to collect with win.
Scoring for Thunder Bay were Liam Figliomeni and Clower.
U14 Kings 2, Burlington Eagles 2 – Tallies from Jagger Hautanen and Nathan Pugliese, along with two assists courtesy of Clower, helped the squad play to a tie with Burlington.
Cava’s efforts earned a point for the Kings to close out the tournament in Oakville.
MINNESOTA GONE WILD
U13 Kings 6, Grand Rapids Griffins 1 – Buoyed by Cooper Christensen and Walker Klug, who both tallied twice, helped in a solid result over Grand Rapids.
Lucas Ball and Jase Leroux also scored in the triumph while Griffin Courtis earned the victory in net.
Minnetonka Skippers 7, U13 Kings 3 – In the defeat against Minnetonka, Christensen scored twice for Thunder Bay and assisted on the other against the high-flying Skippers. Gabriel Matson also put one in for the Kings
U13 Kings 7, Northwest Chargers 1 – Rebounding in their third outing, Klug collected a hat trick in the triumph, with Chandon Adduono; Brody MacNiven; Ryder Olynick and Matson also connecting.
Courtis picked up the win.
Rosemount Irish 5, U13 Kings 3 – Jordan Hanlan; Adduono and Olynick had the goals for the Kings in defeat while Hudson Landgraff and Courtis split duties in net.
Rosemount Irish 3, U13 Kings 1 – Taking on the same Rosemount squad in semifinal play, the Irish got a pair of late tallies, including one into an empty net to pull out the result.
Leroux had the lone Kings’ goal with assists going to Adduono and Luca Marino.
ON TAP
Upcoming game action for the Kings goes February 6-8 with the under-18 squad heading to Sudbury for Great North U18 Hockey League play while the U14s and U15s will be in Sturgeon Falls for a slate of Northern Ontario Hockey League contests.
That same weekend Thunder Bay’s U13s will travel to Verner, Ont., for additional NOHL competition.
Photo credit: James Mirabelli
