SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. –Thunder Bay minor midget Kings finished up round-robin play at the Northern Ontario Cup in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., with a 1-1-1 record and will now compete in the semi-finals Sunday morning.
After beginning with a victory in their opener Friday, Saturday saw Thunder Bay drop a 4-1 decision to the North Bay Trappers before skating to a 1-1 draw with the Sudbury Wolves.
In the loss to North Bay, the Trappers jumped out to a quick two-goal lead that carried all the way into the third period.
Another North Bay marker early in the final frame made it 3-0 before Nikolas Campbell and Nicholas DeGrazia combined to set-up Dawson Lampi to put Thunder Bay on the board at 4:44.
However, the Trappers added another late to secure the win.
Eric Vanska suffered the loss in net for the Kings.
In the match-up vs. the Wolves, the contest was scoreless through two periods of play.
Sudbury then went in front in the third before the Kings rallied late on a Bryson Cataldo goal that was assisted by Konner Kuusskivi and Travis Hensrud to earn a point.
Stephan Bourgeois was in net for Thunder Bay in that one.
The Kings will now meet the Wolves once more Sunday morning at 9 a.m. in semifinal play.
The winners in that one will take on either North Bay or the Soo Greyhounds for the Northern Ontario Cup title later in the day while the other two teams will play for bronze.
Meanwhile, down in Orillia at the Ontario Winter Games, Thunder Bay’s peewee Kings concluded play there with a 5-1 triumph over the Nickel City Sons from Sudbury finishing up competition in the eight-team event with a 1-2 won-loss record.
Next up for the peewees will be the Hockey Northwestern Ontario district championships March 16-18 at Fort William First Nation Arena.
