Thunder begin long road swing

Dust off the suitcases, it’s time to hit the highway.
The Borderland Thunder will look to improve on their 3-2-1 road record, and stretch their lead atop the SIJHL standings, when they play the first two of a scheduled five-straight games away from the familiar confines of the Ice for Kids Arena.
The Thunder (10-3-3-1) will be looking to settle the score with the third-place Fort William Wolves (8-7-2-3) there tomorrow night after the Wolves took three of four points here last weekend.
The Thunder, who lead the Thunder Bay KC Bulldogs by just two points and the Wolves by three, will need to find a solution to the high-flying Fort William trio of Spencer Bodnar, Wes Thom, and Steve Atkins.
The threesome combined for six goals and nine points last weekend in a 4-4 tie and a 6-5 overtime victory for the Wolves.
Bodnar (40 points) and Thom (37) remain 1-2 in the SIJHL’s scoring race while Atkins sits in sixth (28).
The teams each have a win in the season series so far while tying the two other contests.
Then on Sunday afternoon, the Thunder have a date with the Feathermen Hawks (7-13-1-2), who are mired in fifth place in the SIJHL and are on a three-game losing streak heading into the weekend.
Travis Grant (21 points) leads the offensive charge for the Hawks, who have given up a league-high 116 goals and racked up 1,161 penalty minutes, although they have played at least three games more already than any other team.
The Thunder are 4-1-1 against the Hawks so far this season, outscoring them 31-22.
Matt Johnson continues to lead the Thunder offensively with nine goals and 24 assists, and is in third in the league scoring race. Kevin Webb (12-11 for 23 points) and Kyle Prystupa (11-11) also are in the top 10.
The Thunder’s extended road trip continues Wednesday night in Dryden, before ending with a two-game set against the Thunder Bay KC Bulldogs next Friday and Saturday.
The Thunder’s next home action will feature a return visit by the Bulldogs on Dec. 13-14.