SUPERIOR INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
SIJHL MEDIA UPDATE
Release Date: Friday, March 25, 2016
Iron Rangers go up 2-0 on Miners
HOYT LAKES, Minn. – The Minnesota Iron Rangers got goals from five different skaters Friday evening to help them defeat the English River Miners 5-1 in Game 2 of their Superior International Junior Hockey League quarter-final series at Hoyt Lakes Arena.
Minnesota now leads the best-of-five set 2-0 and will have a chance to close it out Saturday while the Miners look to keep their season alive in a 7 p.m. start back in Hoyt Lakes.
The Iron Rangers got off to a good start notching the nights first two tallies off the sticks of Gus Karkinen and Logan Froberg in the opening session.
Special teams allowed the home side to go up by four in the middle stanza as they got power play markers from Jake Ellingson and Noah Bennett.
English River got one back at 13:34 of the second on Brandon Schaber’s second of the series.
McKenzie Gray rounded out the scoring for Minnesota near the nine-minute mark of the third to wrap things up.
Anthony Pupplo turned in a solid effort in net for the Iron Rangers making 37 saves to record the win.
Reid Kilburn started for the Miners and suffered the loss allowing four against on 22 attempts.
Korlan Vader turned aside 16 of 17 in nearly 27 minutes of relief.
The winner of this series will take on the regular season-winning Fort Frances Lakers in a best-of-seven semifinal with the schedule for this still yet to be determined.
The other league semifinal match-up features the No. 2 Dryden GM Ice Dogs taking on the No. 3 Thunder Bay North Stars in another best-of-seven, which will get underway on April 2 at Dryden Memorial Arena.
All SIJHL playoff games are available online at FASTHockey.com.
SIJHL quarter-final schedule (Series A)
No. 4 Minnesota Iron Rangers vs. No. 5 English River Miners
Minnesota leads best-of-five series 2-0
Game 1: Minnesota 3 English River 2 (OT)
Game 2: Minnesota 5 English River 1
Game 3: Saturday, March 26 @ Minnesota 7 p.m. (Hoyt Lakes)
Game 4*: Monday, March 28 @ English River 7 p.m. (Cochenour)
Game 5*: Wednesday, March 30 @ Minnesota (Hoyt Lakes)
*- if necessary