SUPERIOR INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
SIJHL COMMUNICATIONS
MEDIA RELEASE
Release date: Friday, April 19, 2013
Dietrich scores 5 to lead Wilderness to game 4 triumph
FORT FRANCES, Ont. – There’s a reason why Mike Dietrich of the Minnesota Wilderness was named the Superior International Junior Hockey League’s Pizza Hut player of the year, and he showed it Friday night.
The Wilderness captain scored all five of his team’s goals on the evening to lead them to a 5-3 victory over the Fort Frances Lakers in game 4 of the SIJHL Bill Salonen Cup final at Ice For Kids Arena.
With the win the Wilderness now lead the best-of-seven league championship series 3-1 and will have a chance to wrap-up the title Saturday on home ice as they host game 5 at Northwoods Credit Union Arena in Cloquet at 7:30 p.m.
Following a goal-mouth scramble the visitors opened the scoring late in the first period as Dietrich stuffed in a loose puck that Fort Frances netminder Talor Joseph could not control at the 18-minute mark.
Benefitting from a two-man advantage opportunity early in the middle frame Fort Frances tied it as Davis Smith chopped a shot over Gordy Defiel from in close at 2:10.
Still on the power play after their initial tally, the Lakers took the lead 55 seconds after Smith’s effort as Kevin Kurm wired one into the top right hand corner to make it 2-1 for the home side.
Answering back at 7:05 of the session the Wilderness leveled the proceedings as Dietrich nicely redirected a pass past Joseph for his second of the night.
The tallies kept coming before the midway mark of the contest as Hunter Leishman of Fort Frances powered his way down the right side before leaving it for Smith who wristed in his second of the game from the face-off circle.
Continuing to shine Dietrich was at it again as he tacked on goals three and four of night in quick order to put the Wilderness up 4-3 after 40 minutes.
It stayed that way until late in regulation as with Joseph on the Lakers’ bench in favour of an extra attacker, Dietrich broke free and iced it finding an empty net with 32.6 seconds left for goal No. 5 on the evening.
The SIJHL champion will then advance to the Dudley-Hewitt Cup Central Canada Jr. A championship in North Bay April 30 through May 4.
Bill Salonen Cup final schedule
Game 1: Wilderness 5 Lakers 1
Game 2: Lakers 2 Wilderness 1 (OT)
Game 3: Wilderness 4 Lakers 1
Game 4: Wilderness 5 Lakers 3
Game 5: Saturday, April 20 @ Minnesota 7:30 p.m. (Northwoods Credit Union Arena)
Game 6*: Monday, April 22 @ Fort Frances 7:30 p.m. (Ice for Kids Arena)
Game 7*: Wednesday, April 24 @ Minnesota 7:30 p.m. (Northwoods Credit Union Arena)
*-if necessary