Staff
Four goals against the SIJHL’s best goalie this season should have been a sign it was the Fort Frances Lakers’ night.
But the Dryden GM Ice Dogs weren’t paying attention to the sign language.
Lakers’ nemesis Derek McPhail had two goals, and Kristopher Hamlin added three points, as the host Ice Dogs began their playoff march with a 6-4 win over the Lakers in Game 1 of their best-of-seven semi-final series.
Fort Frances poked gaping holes in top goalie award winner Patrick Zubick, lighting the lamp four times on just 20 shots.
But Zubick had plenty of help from the men in front of him, starting with McPhail’s tally that beat Lakers’ goalie Brandon Bodnar just 1:01 into the game.
Brandon Zajicek tied it with 38 seconds left in the frame.
McPhail put the Ice Dogs back on top at 5:32 of the second with a weird goal.
His shot came from a bad angle, and neither the referee nor the goal judge signalled a goal until being alerted to the whereabouts of the puck by Dryden forward Braeden Allkins.
Garrett Graham then made it 3-1 just over three minutes later.
The Lakers were left in chase mode the rest of the way–never getting closer than one goal after that.
Jack Bernie scored for the second-straight game at 10:44 to cut the deficit to 3-2.
After Jake Gushue blasted a point shot past Bodnar at 17:03, Matt Tustin replied just 37 seconds after on a nice set-up from Dylan Kooner and Ryan Gazich.
But a Maverick Lynes hooking penalty in the first minute of the third proved costly, with Hamlin netting a man-advantage marker at 1:40 for a 5-3 lead.
Trey Palermo made it a three-goal cushion at 7:44.
Lynes’ power-play goal at 16:52 wasn’t enough to keep Dryden from running its win streak to 13 after closing out the regular season with 12th-straight victories.
Lakers’ forward Jaden Gustafson (illness) didn’t make the trip while Julian Uhryniuk (concussion) remained out.
That allowed Austin Petrie to get back into the lineup.
It also gave Domi Allan his second chance to play this post-season after he sat out three of the four games in the Lakers’ first-round “Survivor Series” against the Thief River Falls Norskies.
Defenceman Mark Bruinsma (unknown) also missed last night’s game, with Colton Bodnar filling the void.
He joined fellow affiliate players and Kenora Thistles’ teammates Ian Tookenay and Hunter Buzzi in suiting up against the Ice Dogs.
Game 2 goes tonight in Dryden.
The series then switches to the Ice For Kids Arena here for Game 3 on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with Game 4 slated for Tuesday.
