By Gary Moskalyk
Dryden, ON – Nathan Dann struck for two goals and Noah Davis stopped 31 of 32 shots as Red Lake took a 2-0 series lead–on Dryden ice no less–with a 4-1 win over the Ice Dogs.
Dann, a 19-goal scorer in 23 regular season games, scored two of the goals that helped the Miners to a 3-0 2nd period lead. He deflected a Jared Burnett point shot past Dryden’s Ewan Soutar to open the scoring at 1:12 of the first.
Ryker Watt got his third of the playoffs, unassisted, at 3:33 of the second. Dann backhanded a rebound into the Dryden net at 14:27.
James Hooton, who, like Dann, was injured for much of the season, whacked in a rebound at 12:39 of the third period to give the Ice Dogs a new lease on the game. Ethan Cerone added an insurance marker for Red Lake 1:50 later, collecting a rebound and depositing his first goal of the playoffs on assists from Preston Tauter and Carter Deschamps.
Soutar faced 39 shots in the Dryden cage.
Red Lake had an 18-5-2 record at home this year as the Ice Dogs must win at least one game at Cochenour Arena to extend the series.
Neither team scored on the powerplay. Red Lake was 0-3, Dryden 0-5. The Miners took six minor penalties to Dryden’s four.