Photo credits: Scott DCamp, Thief River Falls Times
Photo credits: Allison Garrigan
SUPERIOR INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
SIJHL MEDIA UPDATE
Release Date: Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Photo credit: Allison Garrigan
Lakers’ netminder Bodnar stellar; Virtanen scores 3 in Game 1 triumph over Norskies
THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn. – The Fort Frances Lakers picked up a stellar 52-save effort from netminder Brandon Bodnar while Jared Virtanen supplied a hat trick in a 4-1 triumph over the Thief River Falls Norskies Tuesday in the opening contest of their Superior International Junior Hockey League quarter-final at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
Game two in the best-of-five affair goes Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. back in Thief River Falls.
A power play in the latter stages of the first period allowed Fort Frances to notch the initial goal of the playoffs as Lakers’ captain Dylan Kooner snapped a shot from the slot, high blocker side, on Norskies’ starter Ryan Buttazzoni at 16:42.
Entering the middle stanza, the visitors struck quickly with Virtanen picking up his first of the night 53 seconds into the session as he scooped up a rebound from in close off a Maverick Lynes point shot and buried his chance short side.
The Norskies got that back 11 minutes later as Jack Dunnell picked up the first playoff goal in Thief River Falls’ postseason history to make it 2-1 as he deftly deflected a Dalton Johnson shot, who unleashed a blast from the right side from just inside the blueline.
Fort Frances got that back 7:48 into the third after Kooner took a cross-ice pass from Connor Keith and then sped down the right wing and fed Virtanen between the face-off circles who wired a shot top shelf.
Virtanen then secured the victory with a lengthy empty netter as his clearing attempt from deep in his own zone found its way into the open cage in the final moments to round out the scoring.
Kooner and Lynes had two assists apiece for the Lakers in the win.
Thief River Falls outshot Fort Frances 53-24 overall with Bodnar earning the victory with Buttazzoni suffering the setback for the Norskies.
All SIJHL playoff games will be streamed live online at HockeyTV.com.
SIJHL quarter-final
No. 4 Thief River Falls Norskies vs. No. 5 Fort Frances Lakers
Fort Frances leads best-of-five series 1-0
Game 1: Fort Frances 4 Thief River Falls 1
Game 2: Wednesday, March 22 @ Thief River Falls 7:30 p.m. (Ralph Engelstad Arena)
Game 3: Friday, March 24 @ Fort Frances 7:30 p.m. (Ice for Kids Arena)
Game 4*: Saturday, March 25 @ Fort Frances 7:30 p.m. (Ice for Kids Arena)
Game 5*: Monday, March 27 @ Thief River Falls 7:30 p.m. (Ralph Engelstad Arena)
*-if necessary