Northwest Explorers hockey team off to strong start as Ontario Winter Games action returns to Thunder Bay

When it comes to strong starts, the Northwest Explorers hockey team couldn't have asked for much more as they opened play at the 2024 Ontario Winter Games.

The team, which is comprised of players from across northwestern Ontario, began its campaign for gold with a 6-2 win over the Credit River Capitals at the Fort William Gardens on Saturday morning.

"They come out and they compete hard," head coach Ed Atwill said following the win. "They're a creative group, but they also complete really hard."

"So when you combine those two things, and then we get goaltending like we got, it allows the kids to be creative, and if we make some mistakes along the way, well, the goaltender played great to back us up," he said. " So that's a good recipe for the first game."

The Capitals actually outshot the Explorers 33-24; the Explorers, meanwhile, found plenty of success with their power play, going two-for-three with a man advantage.

Owen Trevisanutto and Jace Voortman led the Explorers in goals, scoring two each, while Cooper Disher contributed four assists.

"It's amazing," Voortman said of the win. "We came here this morning, we didn't know what to expect."

"We came out, we played together, and we ended up with the W."

Atwill said there are a "few little things" the team would be addressing before their next game; the Explorers were scheduled to face Ottawa Myers Automotive at 6 p.m.

"There's some new kids to the team that haven't played with each other before, so there's some smaller things to clean up," he said. "But for the most part, we just want to do what we're doing and allow them to use their their skill and talent and see what we can do in a short tournament like this."

Next door, at the Fort William Curling Club, Thunder