SPOONER, Wis. – The hottest team in the Superior International Junior Hockey League improved to 8-0-1 in their past nine outings as the Wisconsin Lumberjacks pulled out a 3-2 victory over the visiting Dryden GM Ice Dogs Saturday at the Spooner Civic Center.
Ryan Green picked up the lone tally of the first period as the Wisconsin forward wristed one upstairs on Dryden starter Jacob Anthony at 8:53.
Special teams then helped the Lumberjacks extend the lead in the middle stanza as they connected twice on the power play, on a one-timer from Cade Moreland, and a nice second-chance effort off a drive toward the GM Ice Dogs net by Jack Jones.
A transition in the neutral zone helped the guests get on the board at 14:30 that was completed by Justin Pitari, who notched his 21st of the season.
Dryden came right back and added another after a scrum following a faceoff that helped Parker James collect a loose puck in front and slide his first SIJHL goal through the legs of Wisconsin netminder Hunter Adams at 15:25.
However, Adams was unbeatable the rest of the way as he finished with 50 saves, including 22 alone in the third period, to collect his sixth straight win.
Anthony meanwhile faced 30 attempts in the narrow setback for Dryden.
Up next is the SIJHL Showcase, which goes Tuesday and Wednesday back in Spooner with all six league clubs competing in a combined six games.
Photo credit: Katrina Schafer