SUPERIOR INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
SIJHL MEDIA UPDATE
Release Date: Friday, Oct. 7, 2016
Iron Rangers win 1st game in dramatic fashion
HOYT LAKES, Minn. – After tying the game with 11 seconds left in regulation the Minnesota Iron Rangers went on to win their first Superior International Junior Hockey League game of the season as they rallied to upend the Thief River Falls Norskies 4-3 in a shootout Friday at Hoyt Lakes Arena.
Special teams allowed the visiting Norskies to pick up the lone tally of the opening period when Tyler Chalupsky connected on the power play at the 14-minute mark of the frame.
Down a man Thief River Falls struck shorthanded 3:51 into the second stanza to go up by a pair.
Sheamus Stoyle secured his first SIJHL goal under three minutes later to pull Minnesota to within one only to see Ryan Lessard make it 3-1 Norkies with 59 seconds left in the session.
Logan Froberg brought the home side to within one once again at 6:41 of the third and then notched the equalizer late to send the game into overtime.
After a three skaters aside five-minute OT solved nothing extra shots were required to decide a winner.
The shootout ended up going five rounds before it was decided.
Mitchell Soderberg scored on the first attempt for Thief River Falls while Kenny Hasbergen did likewise on the Iron Rangers’ third opportunity to keep the game going.
The Norskies’ Connor Schuster and Minnesota’s Isaiah Olschewske both converted on their attempts in the fourth round to extend things some more.
Then following a stop by Iron Rangers’ netminder Jonathan Chin, Aaron Bessey scored on the final shot of the night to give the hosts the extra point on the night.
Nicholas Reed had a pair of assists to aid the winners cause.
Chin was stellar making 53 saves, plus three more in the shootout to earn his first SIJHL win.
Ryan Buttazzoni faced 42 attempts along with five in extra chances to help the Norskies salvage a point.