DRYDEN, Ont. – Jacob Anthony made 25 saves and had a little luck on his side in the late going to help him post a shutout as the Dryden GM Ice Dogs blanked the Fort Frances Lakers 2-0 Wednesday in Game 2 of their Superior International Junior Hockey League quarter-final series at Memorial Arena.
Dryden picked up the eventual game-winner midway through the first period as Eric Stout knocked in the rebound of a Tyler Browning point shot to put the home side up by one.
The GM Ice Dogs pressed the pace to try and extend their cushion, but had a difficult time beating Fort Frances netminder Jacob Gnidziejko again as the score stayed 1-0 after 40 minutes despite the GM Ice Dogs holding a big edge in shots.
Action in the third, saw Dryden finally collect some insurance as defenceman Ryan Brandt pinched in and took a Malcolm Hurmmert feed from behind the Lakers net and snapped his first SIJHL playoff marker past Gnidziejko.
Fort Frances pulled their goaltender with a minute and a half to go for an extra attacker and their best chance to get on the board came on a dump in that bounced off a stanchion and caught Anthony going out of the crease to play it, but the puck came across, hit the post and stayed out.
Time ran out after that as Dryden went up by a pair in the series.
Gnidziejko was solid in defeat for the Lakers finishing with 53 stops in the setback.
With the GM Ice Dogs now up 2-0 in the best-of-five match-up, a pivotal Game 3 goes Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Ice for Kids Arena in Fort Frances.
SIJHL Playoffs
Series A
No. 4 Dryden GM Ice Dogs vs. No. 5 Fort Frances Lakers
Dryden leads best-of-five series 2-0
Game 1: Dryden 4 Fort Frances 2
Game 2: Dryden 2 Fort Frances 0
Game 3: Friday, March 22 @ Fort Frances 7:30 p.m. (Ice for Kids Arena)
Game 4*: Saturday, March 23 @ Fort Frances 7:30 p.m. (Ice for Kids Arena)
Game 5*: Monday, March 25 @ Dryden 7:30 p.m. (Memorial Arena)
*-if necessary