2-2 weekend for U-18 Kings in NAPHL action

LAINE, Minn. – The Thunder Bay Happy Time Tours major midget Kings wrapped up their latest round of North American Prospects Hockey League play Monday in Blaine, Minn., with a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Springs Tigers.

That gave Thunder Bay a 2-2 record in four NAPHL outings over the course of the weekend.

They opened with a 5-2 triumph over the Portland Jr. Winterhawks before dropping a 6-1 decision to the Esmark Stars from Pittsburgh and being blanked 4-0 by CarShield AAA of St. Louis.

Pacing the Kings offensively were Travis Hensrud and Trenton Morriseau who collected three points apiece while Mackenzie Sedgwick and Hayden Cattani chipped in with two goals each.

Goaltenders Connor Lemieux and Eric Vanska both went 1-1 in a pair of starts each netminder had.

Meanwhile, Kings defenceman Alex Pineau picked up in an assist in the NAPHL U-18 All-Star Game held Sunday evening, however his side suffered a narrow 3-2 setback in the contest.

Netminder Eric Vanska, forward Travis Hensrud and head coach Darrin Nicholas also represented Thunder Bay in the match-up.

Vanska saw one period of play in the all-star game, stopping seven of the eight shots he faced.

Through four rounds of NAPHL competition, the Kings still hold down top spot in Elite Division with an 11-5-0 record.

They’ll finish up the regular season January 18-20 back in Blaine before gearing up for the NAPHL’s Dixon Cup championship tournament mid-February in Troy, Mich.