North Stars send 4 to Holiday Showcase
The Thunder Bay North Stars will have four members on the 20-man Holiday Showcase squad for the Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL).
The Bertolin brothers (Matthew and Lucas) will be joined by forward Evan Simeoni and defenceman Chance Loke in the two-game event against the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Friday January 2 and Saturday January 3 at Fort William Gardens.
“I was really excited when my coach told me that I had been selected for the team,” said Simeoni. “LU has a great team – I’m looking forward to playing against them and hopefully in front of a big crowd.”
“It’s always good to be joined with some teammates. I think we have a great team this year and feel lots of guys could’ve been selected for this team as well.”
Simeoni and Loke both have 24 points during the regular season, with Evan dressing in 16 games while Chance has played 22 games.
Loke feels that the players will be able to put any regular-season rivalries on hold for a pair of games.
“Hockey is all about bringing guys together. Ultimately that’s what this showcase is all about,” Loke said “I don’t personally know any of the other players that were named, but over the past two years I’ve learned a lot about these players, and I’m looking forward to competing with them.”
Matthew and Lucas Bertolin were picked up in separate deals with the Niverville Nighthawks of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) in October. Lucas leads his team with 33 points in 15 games played while Matthew has 20 points in 13 games.
“We ended up back in Thunder Bay because we really trusted [Head Coach] Matt Valley and the rest of his coaching staff,” said Matthew Bertolin. “We believed that they had a good thing going on here, and that they actually believed in us and trusted us as players. That definitely helps us with confidence and gives us the opportunity to showcase what we can do. The decision to come to the North Stars was a no brainer.”
Lucas did confirm that the Kam River Fighting Walleye also had interest in their services but added “it came down to what was best for our development right now. We felt that [Matt] Valley knew what we needed.”
The SIJHL squad will be made up of four members from the Sioux Lookout Bombers and Fort Frances Lakers along with three players from the Kam River Fighting Walleye and Red Lake Miners. The Dryden GM Ice Dogs will contribute two players for the event.
