By Gary Moskalyk
Game 1 March 23. Dryden 7 Fort Frances 4
Dryden exploded for five even-strength goals in a 30-shot period to defeat the visiting Fort Frances Lakers 7-4 at Dryden Memorial Arena.
McLaren Paulsen sped in from the right wing at 10:43 of the first, and Branden Hill scored on a rebound at 14:58 on a Laker powerplay to tie it up.
After a one-all first period, Ben Hackl, Sebastiano Biagi, Kaden Bandura, Brady Frattinger and James Hooton opened up a 6-1 Ice Dogs lead. Bandura picked up a loose puck behind the Laker net just 21 seconds after Biagi scored midway through the second for a 3-1 lead. Frattinger scored at 18:54 and Hooton with seven ticks left to seemingly seal the deal.
Fort Frances scored three of four in the third to make the score respectable.
Jack Wood and Dylan Wedward countered to make it 6-3. Landen Stromme restored a four-goal margin, before Brady Wicklund responded for Fort.
Eric Clark picked up the win stopping 17 of 21.
Brenden Stroble faced 60 shots in the Laker net.
Hackl also had two assists, while Biagi, Hooton, Bandura and Frattinger added helpers. Jack Wood had an assist for a two-point night for Fort and Brady Krentz had two assists for the Lakers.
The Lakers were 2-9 on the powerplay and nullified two Dryden chances. Dryden took 10 of 13 minor penalties meted out.
Stroble left the cage with 50 seconds left and the Lakers already on a powerplay but to no avail. A crowd of 339 were in attendance.
Game 2 March 25. Dryden 9 Fort Frances 3
Dryden scored three goals in a 1:23 span in the first period to break open a 2-2 game, and scored the last four goals of the game to beat Fort Frances 9-3 in Dryden. Landen Stromme, Tyler Earl and Derek Koivisto fired in two goals apiece to power the win.
Jack Wood got the visiting Lakers off on the right skate with a high blocker side snipe at 2:44. Tyler Earl duplicated Wood’s goal with a Dryden version of a high blocker side rocket to tie it up. Derek Koivisto scored on a rebound to give the Dogs a 2-1 lead.
Darnell Kempf tied it up on a Fort Frances powerplay at 8:10.
McLaren Paulsen scored under the crossbar shorthanded on a Laker turnover to give the Ice Dogs a 3-2 lead. Stromme deposited a rebound past Brendan Stroble 1:09 later and then added another 14 seconds later on a spinorama for the 5-2 first period edge.
Jack Wood’s second of the game at 9:17 of the second on a Laker PP clawed the visitors to within two. Ryland Maier re-established the three-goal margin, cashing a rebound for his first of the playoffs.
The Dogs were in full-blown pack mode in period three, firing an incredible 36 shots at Stroble, scoring on three of them.
Koivisto, Max Roby and Earl put an exclamation point on the game two Dryden win.
Earl added an assist for a three-point evening. Roby added a helper. 14 Dryden players registered at least a point. Wood’s two goals led the Lakers.
Stroble stopped 59 of 68. Eric Clark made 29 saves in the Dryden net for his second win.
The Lakers were 2-6 on the powerplay. The vaunted Dryden powerplay was held to an 0-3 performance–though Paulsen did strike on a Dryden penalty kill.
Johann Prager and Will Cox whistled down 52 minutes worth of penalties, 34 to Dryden. 537 fans attended.
Dryden heads down to Fort Frances for Monday and Tuesday tilts up two games to none.
Game 3 March 27. Dryden 6 Fort Frances 2
Brady Frattinger scored three and the visiting Dryden Ice Dogs swarmed the Laker net for 20 first period shots, scoring four goals, to defeat Fort Frances 6-2.
Brenden Stroble made half a dozen saves in a nine second span early in the first as the Ice Dogs established their offence. They held the Lakers to just three shots in the first frame.
Jordan Pfoh hit the score sheet with a slap shot that eluded Stroble at 5:49. Landen Stromme fed Frattinger from behind the net and the Dryden captain clicked from the doorstep for a 2-0 lead. Frattinger made it 3-0 when he banged home his third of the playoffs from the blue paint. Ryland Maier walked the puck past a couple of Lakers and sniped from the slot for the 4-0 lead.
Frattinger completed his hat trick at 4:25 of the second on a Dryden powerplay.
Ryker Watt replied late in the second with a dangle and goal past starter Eric Clark to make it 5-1.
Pfoh’s second of the game at 13:25 of the third, and Watt’s second of the game on a Laker powerplay finished off the scoring.
Stromme had three assists for Dryden and Maier added an assist.
Clark Scaddan assisted on both of Watt’s goals.
Clark picked up Dryden’s third playoff win.
The game got chippier as it progressed. Dryden took 35 of 58 penalty minutes.
Dryden outshot Fort Frances 57-29. Attendance was 248.
Game 4 March 28. Fort Frances 2 Dryden 1
Brenden Stroble stopped 56 of 57 shots as the Lakers defeated the Ice Dogs 2-1 at Ice foe Kids Arena in Fort Frances before 301 fans.
Kevin Bond scored the game winner at 9:12 of the third, accepting a stretch pass from Jack Wood, and laying a deke on Dryden netminder Eric Clark. Brady Krentz collected the secondary assist.
The Lakers live to see a fifth game in Dryden on Friday.
“We competed. We worked hard,” said Fort Frances head coach Tyler Miller. “It’s been a roller coaster season. It’s all about those players, seeing the smiles on their faces, knowing that the hard work paid off here.
“One of the guys mentioned in the room after the game. ‘This is a culture change, here. We’re trying to do the right things. You guys are leading the way by getting your first playoff win in a couple of years,’ Miller added. “You got to have games that change things for you and that was definitely a game changer for us. We just want to keep competing, not getting too high after one win.”
Ondrej Bardos scored the game’s first goal at 2:35 of the second. Bardos went over Stroble’s shoulder for a 1-0 Dryden lead. Kaden Bandura assisted on the tally. Clark denied Brady Wicklund on a penalty shot with a minute to go in the second.
Affiliated player Landon Lowes tied the game for Fort Frances at 0:55 of the third.
He scored on a one-timer from a tough angle on a Fort powerplay. Jack Wood and Clark Scaddan assisted.
Stroble faced 18, 24 and 15 shots over the three periods, making many key stops along the way. Eric Clark faced 9, 8 and 8 shots in the Dryden net.
The Lakers lost Ryker Watt-and Dryden Max Roby–late in the first period as the two fought. Only 26 penalty minutes were assessed in addition to those two five-minute majors.
Wood had two assists for the Lakers.
Game 5 is Friday night in Dryden.
Game 5 March 31. Dryden 9 Fort Frances 2
The Ice Dogs are moving on to the SIJHL semi-finals.
Dryden scored their first four goals on the powerplay, added a shorty, and slammed in four markers in the final 4:45 to defeat Fort Frances 9-2 and take the series in five games. Bryce Benfield led the onslaught with two goals and two assists in his first game back.
James Hooton recorded the same numbers as Benfield, McLaren Paulsen had two goals, Ben Hackl and Landen Stromme had a goal and assist each and Max Roby chipped in with two assists.
Eric Clark made 21 saves for his 4th playoff win. Brenden Stroble faced 45 shots in the Laker net.
Benfield and Paulsen connected in the first for a 2-0 Dryden lead.
Brady Wicklund beat Clark blocker side to close the gap. Hackl and Stromme gave Dryden a 4-1 spread through 40 minutes.
Dryden scored five of the six goals in the third to pull away. Hooton made it 5-1, Brady Krentz scored on a Laker powerplay at 11:53 to make it 5-2. Sebastiano Biagi, Hooton (unassisted), Benfield (shorthanded) and Paulsen at 18:48 poured on the coals.
The Sioux Lookout/Wisconsin series (currently 3-2 for Sioux Lookout) will have to play itself out before the next round match-ups can be determined.
Dryden took 30 of 58 penalty minutes assessed.
The Dogs attracted 657 fans.
The Dryden GM Ice Dogs won in 5 and will advance for a 2nd round series against the Thunder Bay North Stars