Joey Payeur
The whole game was a shootout so it might as well have ended with one, too.
Zachary Kercz netted the decisive goal, and Terry Hughes stopped three-of-four shootout chances, to seal a 7-6 victory for the host Dryden Ice Dogs over the Fort Frances Lakers in SIJHL action last night.
Kercz, who also scored in regulation time, beat Lakers’ goalie Ryan Ferguson in the fourth round before Hughes slammed the door on Lucas DeBenedet to close out a wild back-and-forth affair that featured eight goals and three lead changes in the second period.
The Ice Dogs (3-1)—ranked No. 10 in the latest CHJL national rankings—jumped on the Lakers (1-1-1) early.
Tyson Holder and Derek McPhail scored 1:16 apart to chase Lakers’ starter Jordan Cartney (three saves on five shots) only 4:50 into the game.
Mason Meyer brought Fort Frances back to even terms with his second and third goals of the season at 18:37 of the first (shorthanded) and 3:16 of the second.
Kercz put Dryden back in front with his power-play marker 41 seconds later. But the Lakers grabbed their first lead in the following 68 seconds, with Bryson Jasper and Patrick Sofer each scoring their second goals of the season.
Back came the Ice Dogs, however, as they capitalized on two more man-advantage opportunities in a span of 48 seconds.
Holder collected his second of the night at 8:23 with John Dora off for interference.
Then after Miles Nolan was whistled for hooking, Holder set up Rory Court at 9:11 to make it 5-4 as the Dryden power-play unit finished the game 3-for-4 compared to Fort Frances at 1-for-5.
The Lakers’ blueline led another rally later in the frame.
Aaron Wesley-Chisel notched in his first of the year at 13:41 before Tanner Fricke’s man-advantage marker at 18:53 gave him his first of the campaign and put the Lakers up again 6-5.
The third was penalty-free but not goal-free, unfortunately for Fort Frances.
Drew Decker put one past Ferguson at 10:33 to knot the game once more, with overtime solving nothing.
In the shootout, Ferguson stopped Chris Belhumeur and Dane Feeney while Hughes turned aside both Lyndon and Bryce Lipinski in the first two rounds.
Holder put Dryden on the board in the third round but Kevin Kurm responded with a goal of his own to force sudden-death.
The two teams will wrap up the home-and-home series this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Ice For Kids Arena.
