DRYDEN, Ont. – Brett Piper tallied twice to help the Thief River Falls Norskies complete a three-game road trip with a 4-2 victory over the Dryden GM Ice Dogs in a Superior International Junior Hockey League match-up Sunday afternoon at Memorial Arena.
Down a man in the first period, Piper opened the scoring with a shorthanded strike six and a half minutes into the contest.
Dryden leveled the proceedings with a power play marker off the stick Evan Walls at 16:23 to send the two sides to the intermission knotted at 1-1.
It stayed level until late in the middle session when the Norskies tallied twice in a 13-second span to go up by a pair heading into the third.
Bryce Johnson got the first one for Thief River Falls during a man advantage at 19:12 while Blake Nelson’s first SIJHL marker moments later proved to be the game-winner as the visitors took a 3-1 cushion into the final frame.
Curtis Magas pulled the GM Ice Dogs closer five minutes into the third as his too picked up his initial league marker as he converted during a man advantage.
However, Piper added some insurance with 3:40 to as his power play effort helped wrap up the road win.
Boe Bjorge assisted on a pair of markers for the Norskies.
Bailey Schmitz in the Thief River Falls net turned in a solid 46-save performance to record the win.
Carson Murison finished with 25 stops in defeat for Dryden.