After salvaging a 1-1 tie with the Abitibi Eskimos Saturday, February 19, the Northern Michigan Black Bears had to bus to Ontario and get it together just 16 hours later on the Soo Thunderbirds’ ice for a 2 p.m. matinee. Thanks to the efforts of veteran Chris Kraft and youngster Michael Bell, they pipped the T-Birds, 4-3.

Combined with a 5-3 win at Rayside-Balfour Thursday, February 17, Northern Michigan (26-11-4-2) tallied five points in four days and extended their lead in the NOJHL Western Division to seven points over Blind River.

Kraft scored two goals in an 89-second span of the first period, then added an assist on Russell Law’s game-winner in the third. Bell, getting his first start of the season in the net after Stoehr broke a finger against Abitibi, stopped 30 of 33 shots.

The Black Bears don’t play again until Saturday, February 26 against Manitoulin, the first of four straight home games that will comprise most of the five-game season-ending countdown.

Black Bears 4,

Soo Thunderbirds 3

Kraft’s first goal (assists Jim Ceglarek, Law) came on a power play at the 7:18 mark. Then 8:47 into the period he made it 2-0 (assists Kyle Jacobson, Ryan Huggett).

Ryan Maunu and Mark Thorburn got to Bell later in the period, scoring in a similarly short span to tie it.

The Black Bears would never trail, though, as Jordan Boman (assist Jared Lavender) put in the lone goal of period two to make it 3-2. Then, 2:37 into the final stanza, Law (assists Jacobson, Kraft) scored to give the visitors the clinching goal and cushion they needed. Matt Dias closed the gap to one at the 16:28 mark, but that was the only puck Bell let by in the final 42:42.

Not only did Northern Michigan improve its lead in the division, but also moved ahead of Abitibi for the second-best record in the whole league.

Black Bears 1,

Abitibi 1

Black Bears players and fans were all moved by a tribute to Chipper Huskey Saturday, but the game itself looked rather grim during the break between the first two periods. The Black Bears’ shooters had fired up just seven shots, one of the most anemic efforts of the year, and there wasn’t any sign it would get better.

Bryan Pearse, however, got Northern Michigan on the board at the 12:04 mark of the second period and, thanks to one of Stoehr’s best efforts of the year, the 1-0 lead looked as if it might hold up.

In regulation’s final two minutes, though, the Black Bears picked up a bench penalty and the Eskimos pulled their goalie, giving them a two-man advantage. Michel Charlette converted with 55 seconds left to tie the game and break the hearts of the 500 onlookers.

Neither team really got close the rest of regulation and the overtime, but Stoehr wound up with 47 saves, his best of the year. Ryan Huggett was also cited by head coach Gerry Lortie for outstanding play.

“We’ve never been outshot like that in our lives,” said Coach Lortie. “We were playing on the outside edge of the perimeter all night and too many veterans were not pulling enough weight. But Tony Stoehr and Ryan Huggett were awesome for us.”

The Eskimos outshot the Black Bears, 48-27, the second-worst shot deficit and shot total of the season for the hosts.

Black Bears 5,

Rayside-Balfour 3

After a lackluster first two periods, the Black Bears buried the Sabrecats with a 3-goal final stanza on 18 shots.

Steve Kruszewski (assists Kraft, Nogatch) and Justin Dickenson (unassisted) ripped the nets 56 seconds apart early in the third period, turning a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 lead with 16:35 left in the game. Ryan Huggett (assists Kraft, Mike Herbert) scored an insurance goal with 8:25 remaining.

Pearse (assist Boman) and Mike Caprio (assist Ceglarek) had scored in the first two periods, but the Sabrecats’ Nick Heins countered with a hat trick.