Dryden, ON
November 15, 2020. Photo credit: Patrick Boucha
Saturday night’s game between the visiting Red Lake Miners and the Dryden Ice Dogs played out like a 3-act play.
Just like Friday’s game at the Cochenour Arena, the offense was on full display, and there was little to separate the teams. A late goal from Jordan Baranesky of the Miners was the difference in a spirited contest that ended 5-4.
It didn’t look like it would be that close. The Miners needed just 34 seconds to put the first one up on the board, and were up 3-0 before the game was four minutes old. The early damage was done by Ilya Zhilinsky, Ryan Howe and Brady Harroun,
Harroun followed it up with his second of the night a little over 8 minutes in to stake the Miners to a 4-0 lead, which also spelled the end of the night for Ice Dog’s rookie goaltender Connor Lemieux.
Then, just when it looked this this contest had all the makings of a laugher, the Ice Dogs came to life. In a 10-minute stretch spanning the end of the first and the first 5 minutes of the second, the Ice Dogs went on a tear of their own and managed to climb all the way out of the hole and level the game at 4.
The comeback was kicked-off by Tristan Takats with 4:29 remaining in the first to head to the dressing room down 4-1. By the time the second period was barely 5 minutes old, it was a tie game courtesy of two goals from Nolan Marshall and one from Xavier Halterman all within a 1:29 span.
Takats’ and both of Marshall’s goal game with the man advantage.
And then – the offence dried up. After 8 goals in the first 25 minutes of the game, there wouldn’t be another one until barely over a minute left and the game appeared to be heading to extra time.
That’s when Miners’ Jordan Baranesky continued his scoring ways early this preseason with the game winner, on the power play with 1:14 remaining on the clock to seal the game.
The Ice Dogs finished the game 3-for-12 on the power play, while the Miners went 2-for-14.
(photo credit: Chris Marchand)