Photo credit: James Mirabelli

Dudley-Hewitt Cup Media Update

Release date: Thursday, April 19, 2012

Dubchak sends Thunder Bay into semifinal

THUNDER BAY, Ont. – Heading into the final round robin game at the Dudley-Hewitt Cup Central Canada Junior A Hockey Championship in Thunder Bay, both the Wisconsin Wilderness and the Thunder Bay North Stars knew, win and you’re in.

Brennen Dubchak of the North Stars made sure his club did just that as his second goal of the night at 14:12 of overtime lifted Thunder Bay to a dramatic 4-3 victory over the Wilderness thus earning his team a berth in Friday’s semifinal game against the Soo Thunderbirds at 7: 30 p.m.

Awaiting the winner of that contest will be the Stouffville Spirit who secured top spot in the standings thanks to a winning the head-to-head contest vs. the second place Thunderbirds.

The highly entertaining match-up thrilled the boisterous crowd from start to finish in a meeting of two Superior International Jr. Hockey League squads.

A shorthanded effort 7:05 into the contest put the home side on top as Matt Kaarela corralled a giveaway by Wisconsin defender Patrick Hurley before skating in a few strides and depositing the puck over the left shoulder of netminder Tanner Milliron.

Hurley made up for the miscue by blasting home a power play tally 10 minutes later burying the equalizer past Marc Nother.

Mike Dietrich one-timed an Anthony Calabrese cross-ice feed for Wisconsin’s second extra man effort of the session to give his side the lead after one.

Quinn Rempel pulled the North Stars level 3:50 into the middle frame stuffing a loose puck through Milliron to knot the score at 2-2 through 40 minutes.

The SIJHL champion Wilderness regained the lead early in the final frame as Shane Topf slammed in his second of the tournament at 2:49.

Thunder Bay forced extra time as Dubchak notched the equalizer with 6:28 remaining scooping up his own rebound off the pad of Milliron and tucking it in the open side.

The North Stars generated two glorious chances early in the OT as Joshua Blacksmith was thwarted by a sprawling Wilderness goalkeeper while another defenceman in Tylewr Osborne rang one off the post.

They then won it as Kaarela fed Dubchak in close on a mini two-on-one and he lifted it over a sprawled Milliron to send the Stars into the final while ending the season for Wisconsin.

The Dudley-Hewitt Cup winner will move on to represent the region at the Royal Bank Cup in Humboldt, Sask., May 5-13.