The midget AA Thompson King Miners returned to their winning ways on the road Nov. 24-25 after having lost their first game of the season one week earlier.
The Miners defeated the Cross Lake Islanders 7-4 on Saturday and the Norway House North Stars 12-2 the next day.
Jonathan Saunders led the way against the Islanders, recording four goals, while Cody Hale, Kale Mayor and Curtis Shymanski added singles. Christian Ross had two goals for Cross Lake, with Wilfred McLeod and Julius Scribe scoring the Islanders’ other goals. Isaak Weenusk made 38 saves for the King Miners while Marcus Ross stopped 39 shots in Cross Lake’s net.
That win was followed by a one-sided affair in which Hale had a hat trick and three other players – Mayor, Shymanski and Casper Stoker – had two goals apiece as Thompson outscored Norway House by 10 goals. Jonah Bradburn, Conroy Halcrow and Saunders also had goals for Thompson, which got 15 saves from goaltender Landon Hofer, with Dallas McKay and Tiffany Paul the only North Stars who scored. Taylor McLeod made 27 saves for Norway House in a losing cause.
The wins came a week after Thompson suffered its first loss of the season 6-4 to the flin Flon Bombers in Flin Flon Nov. 18. Saunders had a hat trick and Halcrow one goal in that game, while Damon Constant scored a pair for the Bombers, with Blake Alexander, Thunder Ballantyne, Joel Hucaluk and Colten Tetoff notching singles. Weenusk made 16 saves for Thompson in that game while Fred Martin stopped 24 to get the Bombers the win.
The Miners had edged the Bombers 5-4 the previous day, led by two goals from Jonah Bradburn, with Brennon Bradburn, Halcrow and Hale adding singles. Chayce Busby, Aidan Collard, Cree Nicolas and Sean Yaworski scored for the Bombers, who got 51 saves from goaltender Shane Price. Hofer stopped 24 to get the win for the King Miners.
Thompson and Cross Lake are tied for top spot in the league with 14 points, while the Bombers have 11 and Norway House has yet to record a point.
Thompson is hosting the Flin Flon Bombers at the Thompson Regional Community Centre Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 1 at 4:15 p.m.
