Gary Moskalyk recaps game 6 of the Bill Salonen Cups finals!
 | AT KAM RIVER FIGHTING WALLEYE |  | ||
| The Kam River Fighting Walleye are packing their bags for Calgary. Jett Mintenko scored late in the first overtime as the Fighting Walleye defeated Dryden 4-3 to capture the Bill Salonen Cup in six games. It's Kam River's second league championship in four years. Next up is the CJHL Centennial Cup, featuring the league champions from nine different leagues, comprised of 118 teams, beginning May 8th. The Walleye won a classic game-six thriller to punch their ticket. Adam Zimmerman opened the scoring for Dryden, connecting from a sharp angle for his first of the playoffs at 5:21 of the first period. Evan Mayer collected his seventh assist, and Rylan Oatman got his fourth helper on the play. Brodie McLeod tied it up at 15:44, beating Noah Davis from the high slot blocker side for his second of the post season. Mintenko got the primary assist, with Daxton Lang chipping in his 12th assist. Defenceman Edwin Liang struck unassisted at 28 seconds of the second frame. He corralled a loose puck at centre ice, gained the Dryden zone and wristed one in glove side for his third, giving Kam River a 2-1 lead. McLaren Paulsen knotted the score at 15:44, going glove side on Ashton Sadauskas for his third on a Dryden power play. Max Roby garnered his sixth assist. Payton Hu got his fifth helper. In the third period Zach Baumann scored at 17:32, kicking off a short-lived celebration, as the Walleye took a 3-2 lead late to the delight of 890 fans at Norwest Arena. Baumann accepted a pass from Carter Poddubny and backhanded in his fifth of the playoff year on Davis' doorstep. The Ice Dogs pulled Davis for an extra attacker at 18:22. Just 17 seconds later Eli Antoine tied the game at three-all, getting his fifth after passes from Elias Eisenbarth and Paulsen set him up perfectly. Kam River outshot Dryden 10-4 in overtime. McLeod's zinger off the cross-bar at 14:18 was the best chance of the period, even though it never hit the scoresheet as a shot on goal. Callum Halls won a puck battle along the boards, fed Mintenko in front of the Dryden net, and Mintenko buried his eighth at 16:18 to win the SIJHL championship. Ashton Sadauskas stopped 35 of 38 to win the game. He was selected playoff MVP, posting a 12-1-1 post season record, with a 1.77 goals against average and .935 save percentage. Interim commissioner Doug Lein presented the MVP hardware to Sadauskas, and the freshly minted (and quite impressive) Bill Salonen Cup to Walleye captain Daxton Lang. Davis stopped 35 of 39 in the Dryden net. Davis, who took over from Kellan Mooney in game one of the finals, finished 2-1-2/ 2.17/.938. Dryden was 1-2 on the power play while Kam River was 0-3. Referees Lance Dysievick and Scott Wrigley assessed three minors to the Ice Dogs, two to the Walleye. Jared Ostrum and Josh Gribben handled the lines. "Unbelievable. Hard to explain you know," said emotional Walleye head coach Larry Wintoneak after the hard fought win. "When guys win the Stanley Cup the words just don't come out. These guys were resilient. They competed. They never gave up. I'm so proud of them. It's just amazing what we've accomplished. With Mintenko, as a 20-year-old, scoring the winning goal, why not? He's been a dog on a bone all night." Kam River assistant coach Vern Ray celebrated his birthday on Tuesday. For Wintoneak, April 29th has special significance. "Thirty years ago today, exactly 30 years, April 29th--Vern's birthday--I was coaching the Thunder Bay Flyers," noted Wintoneak. "We won the Dudley Hewitt Cup in the afternoon at the Fort William Gardens. That night (also at the Gardens), the (Thunder Bay Senators) won the Colonial Cup. Vern Ray won the Colonial Cup that night. With Vern's birthday and us going to Calgary, this is unbelievable." |
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