The La Ronge Ice Wolves slipped to 1-2 in SJHL pre-season action on Friday Night in North Battleford when they dropped a 5-1 decision to the North Stars.
Things started out well for the Ice Wolves, who found the back of the net under a minute into the game when Antonio Di Paolo notched his first of the pre-season.
“First period — really had to knock a lot of rust off for sure,” said Di Paolo. “We got really lucky first shift, hard work by our guys up front. I was lucky enough to get a goal, get on the scoresheet, which is pretty good for my confidence.”
Chad Duran played all 60 minutes in net for La Ronge. The Colorado product faced over 40 shots and came up with some nifty saves.
“He (Duran) really kept us in it,” said Di Paolo. “It could have been a lot worse than 5-1, it could have been probably 5-1 by the end of the first period to be honest.”
The Ice Wolves ran into penalty trouble throughout the game, which was costly. The North Stars converted three times on the man advantage.
The Ice Wolves will look to bounce back on Saturday afternoon when they face the North Stars again in North Battleford. Saturday’s contest is slated to get underway at 2 p.m.
La Ronge will conclude the pre-season on Monday at the Mel Hegland Uniplex when the OCN Blizzard come to town.
(PHOTO: The La Ronge Ice Wolves continued their pre-season schedule in North Battleford Friday. Photo by Braden Malsbury.)