The Norman Northstars hoped their 30th home opening weekend would bring them the first win of the 2014-15 Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League season, but the Interlake Lightning played party poopers Oct. 11-12, outscoring the home team 15-2 over a pair of games and never trailing.
The weekend series had barely opened before the Northstars found themselves in a hole Oct. 11, with Aiken Chop of the Lightning putting his team up just 24 seconds after the opening faceoff of a game that ended 6-2 for Interlake. The Lightning didn't let up, with Trenton Kornelson – shorthanded – and Karson Collins adding goals in a first period that ended with shots 22-4 in favour of Interlake.
Evan Lutz got the season's first home ice goal for the Northstars five minutes into the second period, reducing the Lightning's lead to two when he picked up a clearing attempt after a blocked wraparound and wired it into the open side of the net. John McCammon restored Interlake's three-goal lead by finishing off an odd-man rush and Dawson Anderson extended it to four when he scored from the slot with nine seconds to go in the period.
Michael Markus got the Northstars' second goal in the third, converting his own rebound after a pass from behind the net by Bryce Horning. Interlake's Anderson concluded the scoring with a power play marker with 3:35 left in the game, which saw Norman goaltender Mark Steeves make 35 stops as his team was outshot 41-16.
The teams were on even terms for more of the second game of the series, which saw the Lightning go up 1-0 about five minutes in, when Dane Derewianchuk put a puck in the net which was full of players from both teams who prevented Northstars goalie Connor Faulkner from even attempting a save. Jeremy Idzikowski got a shorthanded goal to double the lead before the period was through and Interlake went on to score seven more goals – five of them in the second period – en route a 9-0 shutout.
Faulkner stopped 16 of 21 shots he faced in his home debut as a Northstar before being replaced by Steeves with 12:30 left in the second period and the Lightning up 5-0. Steeves stopped 17 of 21 shots the rest of the way as the Northstars gave up 40 shots and took less than 20 for the second game in a row.
With five games on the books, the Northstars are in last place in the 12-team league and the only squad yet to record a win. They trail the Central Plains Capitals and Kenora Thistles by two points.
The top eight teams in the standings advance to the playoffs following the regular season.
The Northstars' next opponents are the Winnipeg Wild on Friday, the Southwest Cougars on Saturday and the Parkland Rangers on Sunday. All three of those games will be played in Steinbach as part of the league's 2014 showcase weekend.
