By Gary Moskalyk
24 Games 16-7-1 Points 33 WPct .688
2nd place, 10 points back, three games in hand
GF 100 GA 68 +32
GFPG 4.17 GAPG 2.83 +1.34 goals per game differential
Penalty minutes 31.6 per game
PP% 21.5 PK% 87.1, Shorthanded GF 7, Shorthanded GA 5 Shutouts 1
TOP SCORERS GP G-A-PTS
Bryce Benfield (21 GP, 10G-16A-26 PTS), Landen Stromme (24 GP, 14G-7A-21 PTS), James Hooton Rookie (24 GP, 12G-8A-20 PTS), Ryland Maier (20 GP, 8G-12A-20 PTS), Jordan Pfoh (24GP, 9G-8A-17 PTS), Max Roby (13 GP, 9G-7A-16 PTS), Ben Hackl (16 GP, 7G-9A-16 PTS), Brady Frattinger (23 GP, 5G-11A-16 PTS).
GOALIES GP W-L-T GAA SV% Shutouts Minutes)
Eric Clark (18 GP, 11-5-1, 2.61, .918, SO 1, 989)
Zac MacDonald (9 GP, 5-2-0, 3.05, .894, SO 0, 452)
Dryden was 0-3 in September to start off the season, and were outscored 12-6. Taking that into consideration, they are 16-4-1 since, with 94 goals for and 46 against. Head coach Kurt Walsten promised a deep, hard to play against team, and has delivered.
Bryce Benfield, Dryden’s top scorer, sat out the last three games of 2022, but should be ready to rumble come January. Max Roby’s 16 points in 13 games has been a good shot in the arm. He has 44 penalty minutes to go with it. Stromme’s 14 goals paces the team. Defenceman Max Rath has 89 minutes in the box in 22 games.
“When we follow our game plan and put the work we’re a tough team to beat,” said Walsten prior to the Sioux Lookout home and home series. “At times we get happy, you win a game, and then all of a sudden you just think you got to show up and throw the gear on and you’re going to win. Any team can beat any team if you don’t show up to play. Hockey gods reward you if you put the work in.”
“When we work together as a team no team likes playing us,” he added.
To that point Dryden averages 31.6 penalty minutes per game. They’ve got the horses to kill off those minutes. The penalty kill is 87.1% and they’ve cashed in seven shorties against 21 goals allowed.
“They’re taught from training camp. Good defence creates your offence,” said Walsten. “Take care of your ‘D’ zone and good things happen. When you’re cheating for offence and you have three forwards at the far blue-line, that’s easy to do that, put that’s not what we do in Dryden.”
On a goals per game basis, the Ice Dogs have the top offence in the league. At 2.83 goals against, they’re a tick behind Kam River, 2.83-2.70.
“With Dryden we want our players to take accountability. Play the game the right way.” said Walsten. “We don’t like lipping off and doing all this. Just play between the whistles. Hockey is a contact sport so we want to be physical, but the right way, not the bad way. If everyone is working hard and we lose we can accept that. But when you only play 30 minutes a game like we sometimes do then that gets frustrating. You’re cheating yourselves . .”
Dryden kicks off 2023 with two games against Thunder Bay on January 6 and 7.
Walsten offered his pronouncements on work ethic.
“If they put the work in and we lose, not everyone can win. There’s a right way to lose the game,” he said. “You play the game the right way and you lose the game there’s nothing to be ashamed of. . .When you cheat the game, when you make excuses, it drives me absolutely crazy. I’m too old for that. When you work hard it shows you care. . . You’re not entitled to anything. You earn what you get.”