Kam River Walleye shut out Bombers in first meeting of the season.
It was a Friday night showdown at The Hangar, folks! The Kam River Fighting Walleye took on the Sioux Lookout Bombers in a rematch of the 2024 Bill Salonen Cup Final, and what a game it was! Fans packed the arena for the highly anticipated first clash of the season between these two rivals, and while the Bombers had the early edge in the shot department, it was Kam River’s night to shine.
The first period was a fast-paced, back-and-forth battle, with both teams hungry for blood—or in this case, goals! Despite some great chances at both ends, the goaltenders stood tall. Bombers’ Matthew Ofukany and Walleye’s Ashton Sadauskas were brick walls, shutting the door on all comers. By the time the horn sounded to close out the first, the Bombers had the edge in shots, 12-5, but nothing on the board yet.
As we headed into the second, the Walleye found their legs and started pouring it on! Kam River peppered Ofukany with 19 shots, but it wasn’t until late in the period that they cracked the code. With under two minutes to go, Brodie McLeod’s point shot was kicked out by Ofukany’s pad, but Kaden Goodwin was right there to bury the rebound. Walleye took a 1-0 lead into the third.
And then, it was time for the rookies to shine! Walleye newcomer Zach Baumann scored his first Junior A goal in his first game, threading the needle through Ofukany’s 5-hole just under the midway mark of the third. At 14:52, Tie Schumacher joined the party, sniping one top-shelf over Ofukany’s glove to make it 3-0 Kam River.
Sioux Lookout threw everything they had in the final frame, outshooting the Walleye 10-5, but it wasn’t enough. Ashton Sadauskas turned in a stellar performance between the pipes, stopping all 27 shots he faced for his first shutout of the 2024-25 season!
Special teams? Not tonight! Both squads struggled on the powerplay. Kam River went 0-for-3, while the Bombers were 0-for-6.
Stars of the night? Third star goes to Max Wright for his relentless shot-blocking. Second star? Rookie Zach Baumann with his first-ever Jr. A goal. And no surprise here, first star honors belong to Ashton Sadauskas for his shutout heroics.
Kam River takes this one 3-0!
