SPOONER, Wis. – Zach Willms turned aside all 39 shots he faced to post his second shutout of the season as the Red Lake Miners blanked the Wisconsin Lumberjacks 3-0 in a Superior International Junior Hockey League match-up Thursday at the Spooner Civic Center.
Red Lake got the only goal they would require just past the two-minute mark of the opening period as Carson Lux drove to the net from the right side before cutting in and lifting his fifth of the season over the shoulder of Wisconsin starter Matt Fitzgerald.
The visitors then tacked on another near the midway point of the first period with Morgan Venne stuffing in his 11th of the campaign from the left of the crease during a Miners man advantage opportunity.
Following a scoreless middle stanza, Red Lake added some insurance in the back half of the third off a face off win that resulted in crisp passes from Rajvir Singa and Shaye Sommerfeld, who worked the puck to Ryan Patterson in the high slot as he promptly wristed one into the top right hand corner to round out the scoring.
Sommerfeld finished with two helpers in the Miners’ triumph.
While Willms registered his 10th win of the season, Fitzgerald faced 28 attempts in defeat for the Lumberjacks.
With the victory, Red Lake moves back into second place in the SIJHL standings, one point clear of the Dryden GM Ice Dogs while also holding two games in hand.
Photo credit: Karina Schafer