SUPERIOR INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
SIJHL MEDIA UPDATE
Release Date: Friday, Sept. 26, 2014
North Stars rally to get past Ice Dogs in shootout
DRYDEN, Ont. – Matthias Gardiman of the Thunder Bay North Stars had the lone goal in the shootout as his club rallied to edge the Dryden GM Ice Dogs 7-6 in a high-scoring Superior International Junior Hockey League affair at Memorial Arena.
The goals came quickly in this one with Dryden jumping out to a 5-2 lead after 20 minutes.
Matt Houston, with a pair, Troy Williams, Jonathon Philley and Cole Golka connected on Thunder Bay starter Nathaniel Dupuis, who saw his night come to an end in favour of Eric Mann before the contest was 15 minutes old.
Bradley Belisle, on the power play, for his first SIJHL goal and Ryan Walsh, with another man advantage effort, replied for the North Stars.
The middle session saw the visitors outscore the home side 4-1 to level the affair at 6-6 heading into the third period.
After Thunder Bay’s Kris Kellaway connected at even strength the Stars added three more via the power play off the sticks of Brandon Wolframe and one more apiece from Walsh and Belisle.
Blake Berg had the Dryden marker in the stanza beating Eric Mann with the Ice Dogs up a man.
The two sides settled down defensively after that going scorless in the third and the five-minute overtime.
In the shootout, Gardiman was the only marksmen in six attempts as the North Stars completed the comeback victory.
Mann made 15 saves in relief to pick up the win while Dupuis struggled allowing five against on 10 chances.
Alistair Duncan started for Dryden and gave up five on 21 shots before giving way to Josh Martin, who stopped 22 pucks in the shootout defeat helping his squad salvage a point on the night.
Two SIJHL games are on tap Saturday with the GM Ice Dogs at home to Minnesota while Thunder Bay travels to Fort Frances in a pair of 7:30 p.m. starts.