Dryden Sweeps Fort, Other Series Split in Week 3 SIJHL Action
October 12, 2022
By: Gary Moskalyk, SIJHL
Week 3 of the SIJHL opened Tuesday, October4 and extended through Sunday October 9 with eight games on the schedule. Biggest series? Kam River visited Red Lake for three in a battle of last year’s two top teams.
Fort Frances 4 at Wisconsin 8 Tuesday, October 4
The Wisconsin Lumberjacks resumed their winning ways with an 8-4 win at home over the visiting Fort Frances Lakers.
Despite being outshot 14-11 in the first period Wisconsin emerged with a 3-0 lead. Emmett Doherty’s solid goaltending and goals by Sam Ingram, Brandon McDonald and Zach Carson put the Lakers in the hole.
In the second period Fort Frances closed the gap on a goal by Luke Ostrom. But the Lumberjacks pelted Brenden Stroble’s replacement, Ryan Tanner, with three more markers for a 6-1 margin. Connor Hacker picked up a pair and Dillon Phillips chipped in with his second of the year.
The Lakers, to their credit, scored the next three beginning at 2:18 of the third. Ethan Elgie notched his first of the year. Clark Scaddan and Dylan Wedward scored 14 seconds apart just past the midway point in the third to make a game of it.
An empty net goal shorthanded goal by Ryder McMillen at 18:13 sealed the deal. Caden Sutter’s long shot from his own zone also found an empty cage. McMillen picked up an assist in the game to lead the SIJHL with 16 points. Sutter had a four point outing. Hacker, Dylan Juoppi, and McDonald added three points each to their season totals. Doherty picked up the win in net in 40 minutes of play. Kyler Lowden came on for the final period.
Wisconsin has the top six point getters in the SIJHL.
Stroble had his second tough start in net for the Lakers.
Only six minor penalties were called. Fort Frances went 2-3 on the powerplay while Wisconsin was 1-3. Wisconsin held a 40-38 edge in shots.
The Lakers gear up for two weekend games against Dryden this weekend.
Wisconsin has an eight-day break in the schedule.
Dryden 9 at Fort Frances 2. Dryden 7 at Fort Frances 2. Friday and Saturday October 7-8
The visiting Dryden Ice Dogs drubbed Fort Frances 9-2 on Friday.
Brady Frattinger notched his second and Brandon Rossetti tied it for Fort Frances. Brandon Melsness scored his first of the season before the period was out give the Ice Dogs a 2-1 margin.
Dryden scored eight of the last nine goals, including the last five, firing 50 shots at Ryan Tanner. As the game devolved into a lopsided affair the third period was a rough one with 14 different infractions being whistled down.
Eric Clark stopped 28 of 30 for the win.
Jordan Pfoh scored twice and collected an assist. Easton Debray had two goals.
James Hooton, Ty Moore, Landen Stromme added goals for Dryden. Ryland Maier and Bryce Benfield chipped in with four assists each.
Dryden score two on the powerplay on five opportunities, while Ian Snooks snipped one with the Lakers with a man up.
Attendance was announced at 341.
Game two, a 7-2 win for Dryden, was a physical affair. Travis Batters and Matt Godin assessed 31 infractions total, 50 minutes worth to Dryden and 38 to Fort Frances.
Darnell Kempf opened the scoring for Fort early in the first. By the time Brandon Hill scored on the powerplay for Fort Frances in the second period four Dryden marksmen–Jordan Pfoh, Jeremiah Jacques, Bryce Benfield and Josh Greene–had sniped for a 4-2 Dryden lead.
Ryland Maier’s two third period markers sandwiched a goal by Easton Debray to polish off the Lakers. Maier also had two assists in the contest. Benfield and Pfoh had two point games.
Zac MacDonald picked up the ‘W’ in net for Dryden with 17 stops. Kaden King faced 17, 14 and 16 shots for a game total of 47.
Dryden was 1-4 and Fort Frances 1-5 with a man advantage.
Attendance was 326.
Kam River 6 at Red Lake 5 (OT). Kam River 1 at Red Lake 9. Kam River 3 at Red Lake 4 Friday, Saturday, Sunday October 7-9
You had to be there–or be tuning in to SIJHL.TV on the league website–to believe it.
In game one, Kam River’s winning streak increased to five with a monumental comeback at Red Lake. The Miners scored a pair in the third period to go up 5-1. But Euan Morrison scored at 9:51 and Anthony Oviedo notched one 12 seconds later for the Walleye. Ethan Lang and Carson Gorst continued the onslaught. In a span of 3:04 Kam River scored four times sending the game into overtime.
Holden Woodcroft’s second goal of the game completed the Kam River uprising at 2:29 of overtime with Kyle Lamoureux assisting.
Eric Vanska reeled in the win with a 16-save effort, while Jaxson Taupert had 26 stops in a losing cause.
Morrison had a two-point night and Eli Nielsen and Simon Bienvenue added a pair of assists for Kam River. Kyle Schechtel, Aaron Bertschinger, Jacob Lamoureux, Quintyn Sidaway and Evan Maslack scored in order for Red Lake. Sidaway scored his first goal in his first game as a Miner on the powerplay. Jacob Lamoureux added an assist to his for two points.
In game 2 of the three-game set Jacob Lamoureux scored goals five, six and seven of the season to plunk himself in the middle of the scoring race as the Miners hammered the Fighting Walleye 9-1.
Kam River led 1-0 after one on a goal by Simon Bienvenue. Red Lake scored the next nine, scoring five in the second, tacking on four more in the third–an outburst almost as unlikely as Kam’s four-goal third period comeback in game one.
Evan Maslack scored the last two goals and added two helpers. The Affiliated Player made a strong case for more playing time. Aaron Bertschinger and former Walleye Colton Crysler had a goal and assist each. Dayvan Bull and R.J. Dickie had two assists each.
Losing goaltender Jack Orchard was chased after allowing five goals in 24 shots. Eric Vanska let in four on 18 directed his way in relief. Jack Osmond stopped 21 of 22 for the win.
Neither team scored on the powerplay despite Red Lake’s 14 chances and Kam River’s eight opportunities to do so.
Game 3 turned out to be an epic battle. Austin Derzaph scored in the ninth round of a shootout to give the Miners a 4-3 win. After opening shootout goals Kam River’s Eric Vanska and Red Lake’s Jack Osmond shut the doors for the next seven shooters.
Osmond and Vanska were stingy through the first 65 minutes as well. Osmond stopped 40 of 43 and Vanska 26 of 29.
Brodie McLeod opened the scoring at 51 seconds giving Kam River a 1-0 lead. Aiden Corbett would strike for Red Lake at 20 seconds of the second to knot the score. Max Leduc and Jeremy Dunmore gave the Walleye a 3-1 lead.
Sidaway scored at 13:00 of the second and R.J Dickie scored in the third to tie it up sending the game into overtime and eventually the shootout.
Red Lake was 1-5 on the powerplay while Kam River was 0-5, including an overtime opportunity.
Thunder Bay 5 at Sioux Lookout 3. Thunder Bay 1 at Sioux Lookout 4. Friday-Saturday October 7-8
Thunder Bay secured its first win of the year with a hard fought 5-3 win over Sioux Lookout. The Bombers suffered their first loss. Edison Weeks and Dimitri Trahiotis had two-goals each for Thunder Bay.
Weeks and Trahiotis gave the North Stars a 2-0 lead. Tyler Decoff and Owen Riffle tied it up with second period markers.
Julian Rutland gave Thunder Bay a 3-2 edge in the third, and Weeks scored on the powerplay to make it 4-2. Logan James’ powerplay effort made it a one-goal game. Trahiotis’ empty netter with eight seconds left finished off the scoring.
Conner Lemieux picked up the win in net with a 37-save effort. Jake Manners stopped 16 of 20 for Sioux Lookout.
Thunder Bay was 2-6, Sioux Lookout 1-8 with a man advantage.
The Bombers attracted 477 fans.
In game two, Connor Burke scored on the powerplay at 3:10 of the first for an early 1-0 Bomber lead. Thunder Bay’s Edison Weeks scored at 2:09 of the second to tie it up. Phil Parker scored the Lakers second powerplay goal at 7:38 of the second.
Tyler Decoff’s unassisted goal at 15:17 of the third and Aidan Parker’s unassisted tally at 17:52 rounded out the scoring.
Jake Manners picked up his second win of the year and boasts a 2.38 GAA.
Jero Rossi lost his first start as a North Star.
Thunder Bay recorded 30 of 44 penalty minutes meted out.
Sioux Lookout attracted 405 fans to the Hangar.