DRYDEN, Ont. – Josh Weber tallied twice in the third period, including collecting the game-winner with 5:13 remaining in regulation, and added two assists as the Dryden GM Ice Dogs defeated the Red Lake Miners 5-3 Saturday in Superior International Junior Hockey League action with 878 fans on hand at Memorial Arena.
Sporting their annual Beat Cancer fundraiser pink jerseys, Dryden notched the lone goal of the opening period as Weber got it over to Evan Pakkala who chipped in his fifth of the season at 4:49.
On the power play to begin the second, the GM Ice Dogs went up by a pair as Curtis Magas stuffed one in off a goal mouth scramble a half minute in.
Red Lake came back moments later to get on the board as Spencer Milne was left with a tap in after a sprawling Jacob Anthony came out to play a puck that got under him and left the Miners forward with his second of the campaign.
The visitors then drew level at 4:14 as Jordan Baranesky struck shorthanded for an unassisted effort to knot the score at 2-2.
Red Lake then took the lead 39 seconds into the third after Morgan Venne kept the play in the Dryden zone and got it over to Baranesky, who fed Ryan Howe to make it 3-2.
Weber evened the score at 8:29 with his first of the night, then picked up the eventual difference maker from close range with help from Justin Pitari that began with a Parker James attempt towards the net from the right point.
The Miners pulled their netminder, Samuel Gendron, with 1:37 to go and had a couple of quality chances to tie it, but were denied by a big save by Anthony before Magas put one into an empty net from long range following a Dylan Winsor shot block to round out the night’s scoring.
Shots on goal finished up at 43-43 with Anthony picking up the win and Gendron the defeat.
Photo credit: John Butts