Thunder Bay Jr. B/Juvenile/AAA Hockey News
Northern Hawks advance to Jr. B final

March 15--The Northern Hawks have punched their ticket to the Thunder Bay Jr. B/Juvenile/AAA Hockey League finals for yet another year.

They moved to play for the title following a 6-3 victory over the Nipigon Elks Saturday evening in game three of their six-point semifinal series vs. the Nipigon Elks at the Tournament Centre.

It was the Elks who got on the score board first for a third consecutive game with Ben Kmill doing the honours for his side in this one striking on the power play six minutes into the opening period.

Rory Romano who knot things up for the Hawks five minutes later for the only other marker in the frame.

The Hawks were quick to act in the second period as Ryan McInerney and Ryan Beese both tallied before the middle stanza was 30 seconds old to make it 3-1.

Ryan Smith cut the deficit to one for Nipigon shortly afterwards and Alex Jeffery potted a shorthanded goal at 2:32 to tie the game at 3-3.

However Curtis Sandberg added a shorthanded effort of his own at 5:15 of the middle stanza for the eventual game-winner.

Beese would bury his second of the night with two minutes to play in the period for some incurance before Romano got goal number two of the game for himself in the third to complete the scoring in the series.

Kirk Bodnar picked up the win in net for the Hawks as they out shot Nipigon 34-21 in the contest. Cody Junttola suffered the loss for the Elks.

The Hawks will now move on to take on the the first place K&A Wolverines in an eight-point championship series, which gets underway Tuesday back at the Tournament Centre. Game time is 8 p.m.

-JRB/JUV/AAA-