HATS OFF TO GABBY

THUNDER BAY, ON- On Thursday night, the Thunder Bay Timberwolves were outshot by twenty and horrid in the faceoff circle. But the end result was a 6-2 win for the canis lupus over the Calgary Chinook in front of another capacity crowd and Canadian National Gardens.
>>>Marian Gaborik opened the evenings scoring at 3:52 in the first, on a newly formed line with rookie, Bryan Little and David Perron. The struggling Slovak entered the game with a solo goal and an assist through five games.
>>>Milan Hejduk evened things up at 11:37 in the first from Brian Rafalski and Mikko Koivu.
>>>Inside the final minute of the opening period, Keith Ballard snapped a shot from the right dot. Putting it five-hole on a screened Carey Price.
>>>The second period was all Timberwolves. Fifty-four seconds in, Ales Hemsky took a feed from Ballard and cut across the Chinook crease and Price was again beat between the legs.
>>>Being double shfited, Gaborik finished up some dandy passing from some pluggers and grinders in Bryce Salvador and Samuel Pahlsson. Netting his second of the game at 3:32.
>>>Bryan Little would close out the scoring in the second, with his fourth of the season from Perron and Gaborik.
>>>The real hero of the second, and the game for that matter would have to be the man between the pipes for Thunder Bay. Tim Thomas stopped all twenty shots put on him in the second.
>>>It took Gaborik 1:47 to ice his first hat trick as a member of the Timberwolves. Thus, pulling him out of any mention of a slump that has been weighing on him throughout this first few games.
>>>"I wasn't too worried about it," said Gaborik. "It's still early in the season, and I know what I'm capable of. We have a great group of guys out there. I'm happy to have brought some offense."
>>>Paul Mara would score for Calgary midway through the third. But the damage was done.
>>>Thomas ended up stopping 48 of 50 shots. Letting in no goals off the game high of twenty in the second.
>>>"I was seeing the puck well tonight," said Thomas. "The guys did a great job clearing those lanes and made it easy for me."
>>>The Timberwolves have Friday night off, but hit the ice again on Saturday for a 'Hockey Night in Canada' tilt against the Long Island Express.
>>>
3 STARS OF THE GAME:
>>>
>>1st - Marian Gaborik (THU) - 3 goals (hat trick) & an assist
>>2nd - Tim Thomas (THU) - 48 saves on 50 shots
>>3rd - David Perron (THU) - 3 assists