FORT FRANCES, Ont. – A Joel Nagy goal in the shootout proved to be the difference as the Minnesota Iron Rangers edged the Fort Frances Lakers 4-3 in a Superior International Junior Hockey League exhibition contest Friday at Ice for Kids Arena.
Each side would score once in the opening period with Jeff Venzon connecting for Fort Frances while Clayton Brown countered for Minnesota.
Brown’s second of the night accounted for the lone marker in the next stanza as the Iron Rangers took a 2-1 lead into the third.
Jaedin Ness tied it for the Lakers just past the 14-minute mark of that stanza, only to see Harrison Bjurgo put the visitors back on top a couple shifts later.
Fort Frances forced overtime with 20 seconds left in regulation thanks to Damien Carigni.
A scoreless five-minute OT solved nothing so extra shots were required to determine a winner.
In the shootout Brown and Nagy would score for Minnesota and Carigni was the lone Lakers’ marksmen.
Jackson Nelson started in net for the Iron Rangers while Rob Ivy got the nod for the home side.
The two teams will meet again Wednesday in a 7 p.m. start at Hoyt Lakes Arena.