Staff
The Dryden GM Ice Dogs’ annual “Cancer Game” left the Fort Frances Lakers feeling under the weather.
Zachary Kercz scored his second goal of the game just 18 seconds into overtime to give the host Ice Dogs a 3-2 win Saturday night.
Wyatt Cota, who has taken over the team scoring lead with 61 points, earned a point for the Lakers (41-10-0-2) when he knotted the game with 1:26 left in regulation time.
But the doors barely had swung shut on the player benches before Kercz took a pass from Matt Houston and beat Nathan Park for the game-winner to snap the Lakers’ four-game winning streak.
Meanwhile, it was a big victory for the Ice Dogs (27-21-5), who moved three points ahead of the Thunder Bay North Stars (26-23-4) for third place.
The fourth-place finisher will have to play an extra playoff round against the last-place English River Miners (10-37-4), with that winner then facing the first-place Lakers in the semi-finals.
Jonathan Philley had the other goal for Dryden, which never trailed in the game to win its third-straight and improve to 5-7-2 against the Lakers this season.
Roshen Jaswal netted his first goal in 17 games since joining Fort Frances at the trade deadline in January.
On Friday night, the Lakers hit double digits for the first time this season with a 10-4 shellacking of the Miners in Ear Falls.
Lucas DeBenedet led the attack with a pair of goals and three assists.
Marco Romano and Bryson Jasper also tallied twice while singles went to Dylan Robertson, Sam Schultz, Matt Vela, and Cota (short-handed).
Alex Maticic, Aaron Beauchamp, Jarrett Day (power play), and Richard Dartnall replied for English River.
Pierce Dushenko turned aside 38 shots for the win.
Laker forwards Mason Meyer, Nolan Ross, and Donovan Cousineau all missed the weekend’s action with injuries and remain out indefinitely.
The Lakers next will host the second-place Minnesota Iron Rangers (28-20-6) tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. at the Ice For Kids Arena.
The Iron Rangers are three points up on Dryden, with the Ice Dogs holding a game in hand.
