Brady Frattinger scored two powerplay goals and added an assist as the Dryden Ice Dogs defeated the North Stars 5-1 before 521 fans at the Fort William Gardens. The Dogs were full value for the win, outshooting the Stars 35-11 after two periods and 43-21 overall.
Garret Hrechka opened the scoring at 1:07 of the first, his first goal of the season. His knuckleball wrister fooled Conner Lemieux glove side for a 1-0 Dryden lead.
Nikolas Campbell’s laser beat Dryden’s Eric Clark glove side top shelf to knot the score at 1-all though 20. Campbell has seven goals in nine games.
Derek Koivisto cashed on a Dryden face-off win for the second period’s only goal.
The Ice Dogs collected three in the third. Frattinger went five-hole for his first powerplay marker at 52 seconds. His second powerplay score was unassisted. He collected a rebound and buried his 14th of the year at 11:22. Max Roby polished off the scoring 24 seconds later with a one-timer. Roby has 15 snipes in 24 games.
Clark won his 17th with a 20-save effort. Lemieux stopped 38 of 43.
There’s a lot more to the story than scoring. The teams combined for 153 penalty minutes. At game’s end both teams’ benches were depleted of players. The league will review the match for suspendable offenses.
The North Stars honoured long-time volunteer Morris Decorte with a pre-game puck drop ceremony and team jacket. Mr. Decorte has been with Stars since their inception 22 years ago, greeting everyone with a smile while taking their tickets.