DRYDEN, Ont. – The Red Lake Miners built up a four-goal lead then withstood a third period comeback bid by the Dryden GM Ice Dogs before eventually prevailing with a 5-3 decision in a Superior International Junior Hockey League match-up Wednesday at Memorial Arena.
Some nice puck movement helped Red Lake collect the lone marker of the opening 20 minutes as Morgan Venne connected on the power at 16:24.
The Miners they tacked on three tallies in the middle stanza to go up by four with Jordan Baranesky scoring at even strength while Shaye Sommerfeld and Ethan Stuckless converted on the man advantage in the session.
Dryden got on the board six and half minutes into the third as Dylan Winsor knocked in a loose puck near the goal line with his side up a skater.
Picking up one of the assists on the play was affiliate Ben Hackl, who collected his first SIJHL point.
Winsor then forced a play up to Malcolm Huemmert as the GM Ice Dogs forward snapped in his 11th of the season while beating Red Lake netminder Zach Willms.
Pulling their starter, Jacob Anthony, in the late going, the Miners’ Rajvir Sangha chipped one high off the boards and out of his own zone to send Baranesky in alone on a breakaway where he slammed in his second of the night and 13th overall into the empty net.
Dryden did come right back off the draw thanks to some good work from Nolan Marshall that allowed Kendall Schulz to get the hosts a bit closer with 33 seconds.
That however was the end of the evening’s scoring as the visitors pulled out the victory.
Sangha finished with three assists to help aid the Red Lake cause.
Shots on goal finished 37-35 in favour of the Miners with Willms getting the win while Anthony suffered the defeat.
Photo credit: Kerri-Ann Kanceruk