U16 Kings take two in Minnesota

THUNDER BAY – The Thunder Bay under-16 Kings are coming off a two-game sweep of the Minnesota Wilderness in a pair of exhibition contests held in Cloquet, Minn., over the weekend.

Game 1 Saturday saw Kings’ netminder Travis VanderSwaag post a 17-save shutout as part of a 3-0 victory.

After a scoreless first period, Liam Lucas notched the eventual game-winner with just over three minutes to play in the middle stanza.

Dakota Cooper added some insurance for Thunder Bay, early in the third, before Easton Mikus secured the win with a late marker.

Rashaad Eichenberg, Grayson Hayes and Matthew Bertolin all chipped in with assists.

In the finale, Carter Poddubny tallied twice in the triumph, including collecting the difference maker with 12:08 remaining in regulation.

Nicholas Silvaggio set-up both of Poddubny’s goals, with Mikus also picking up a helper.

Chase Furlong was solid in net for the Kings, making 31 saves along the way.