The Fort Frances Lakers lead the SIJHL in winning percentage (.786) and powerplay proficiency (41.2%) as the SIJHL heads into Week five.
Five teams are within three points of first place. Red Lake, who led the league early with three wins, is now in sixth position on a four-game slide.
Thunder Bay has won six in a row after an 0-2 start. Their +35 goal differential and exceptional penalty kill (96.0%) lead the league. Tied with the North Stars in first place is 6-2-0 Dryden. Dryden is on a four-game winning streak. Four Ice Dogs are in the top five in league scoring. McLaren Paulsen (5G-12A) leads the SIJHL in points, Payton Hu has nine goals to lead the league in goals, and Emmanuel Nkombou and Carson Devine are fourth and fifth in points. Nkombou also has 50 penalty minutes to lead in that category. Tyler Jordan sits in third place for Thunder Bay eight goals and seven helpers.
Kam River’s two weekend road wins over Sioux Lookout puts them in fourth place. Ashton Sadauskas’ four wins lead the league.
The Bombers, winless in three, holds down fifth position with nine points.
Red Lake has played almost every game close, both in wins and losses. They’re minus four in goal differential.
Kenora holds down seventh. The Islanders average 23 penalty minutes per game with a 42.1% penalty kill rate.
Ironwood is still in search of their first win. Kole Kronstedt has carried the freight in net, logging 399 minutes–99 more than Sadauskas of Kam River. The Lumberjacks have held the lead in multiple games but have yet to seal the deal.
In all, first place will be a dog fight for the entire SIJHL season if early indications stay true.
 | AT SIOUX LOOKOUT BOMBERS |  | ||
| Ashton Sadauskas picked up his third win and first shutout, stopping all 28 Sioux Lookout shots, as the Fighting Walleye defeated the Bombers 3-0 at The Hanger. A crowd of 407 witnessed a re-match of last year's Bill Salonen Cup finalists. Kam River took round one of seven regular season meetings. After a scoreless first, Kaden Goodwin struck late in the second, collecting Brodie McLeod's point shot rebound for his second of the year at 18:51. Zach Baumann's seeing eye shot at 8:57 of the third doubled the lead. Tie Schumacher's third of the year from the slot with 5:08 left capped the scoring. Matthew Ofukany turned aside 26 of 29 in the loss. All of Kam River's goals were even strength. Kam River killed off two penalties among their six minor penalties. The Bombers had three minors. |
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| Kam River held leads of 2-1 after 20 minutes, 4-1 after 40, and increased it to 5-1 by 8:26 of the third, survived a late Sioux Lookout rally, and took home a weekend sweep of the Bombers with a 5-3 win on Saturday. Ashton Sadauskas tended the pipes for Kam River, stopping 38 of 41 for his league-leading fourth win. Jett Mintenko was the main offensive driver with two goals and an assist for the Walleye. Mintenko walked in and sniped glove side on Matthew Spencer-Dahl on a powerplay for a 1-0 Kam River lead. Sam Delaquis responded 40 seconds later from in close. Evan Lachimea converted Daxton Lang's perfect feed just 14 seconds to reestablish the Walleye edge. Amar Powar and Edwin Liang scored second period goals for Kam River. Powar capitalized on a Bomber turnover at 11:56 and Liang's one-timer on a Kam River powerplay with 39 seconds left in the period did the damage. Mintenko banged in a loose puck at 8:26 of the third for a four-goal Walleye lead. Cedrik Robidoux deflected Alex Lucas' shot to shave the lead, and Jonah Smith's one-timer beat Sadauskas at 14:17 to narrow the margin to two. Head coach Carson Johnstone pulled Spencer-Dahl with two minutes left but to no avail. Four other Walleye players chipped in with two assists each: Tie Schumacher, Brodie McLeod, Lang and Zach Baumann. Jonah Smith tacked on an assist for Sioux Lookout. Spencer-Dahl shunted aside 30 of 35 shots in a losing cause. Sioux Lookout was 2-10 on the powerplay while Kam River was 0-9. The Walleye took 10 minor penalties to Sioux Lookout's nine. Attendance was 347. |
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 | VS/AT RED LAKE MINERS |  | ||
| Goaltenders Braxton Castagno and Cameron Mann took turns dominating a spirited contest with Castagno's Dryden crew taking a 3-2 decision over Red Lake before 339 fans at Dryden Memorial Arena. Dryden outshot Red Lake 33-12 through two frames and had a 2-0 lead to show for it. McKale Paul wristed in his first goal of the year at 15:07 of the first, in a penalty-free first 20 minutes. Payton Hu got his league-leading eighth at 6:30 of the second with Dryden's lively boards aiding the effort. Hu scored on a Dryden powerplay for the 2-0 edge heading into the third. Three 10-minute misconducts were handed out in a fractious middle frame with 10 minor penalties called. Tempers cooled in the third. Will Porter got Red Lake on the board at six minutes of the third, scoring his first SIJHL goal shorthanded, deking Castagno and depositing a backhander. Hu assisted on Max Roby's 4-on-4 goal at 8:50 to re-establish Dryden two-goal lead. Red Lake outshot Dryden 22-9 in the third frame. Euan Morrison squeaked one through at 17:31 to make it 3-2. Mann was pulled for an extra attacker but the Miners comeback fell short. Final shots were 42-34 in favour of the Ice Dogs. Mann was named first star in a losing cause. Castagno secured the win with his 32 saves and was second star. Hu was the only multi-point player in the game, raising his season haul to 15. Red Lake took 36 of 68 penalty minutes. Dryden was 1-6 on the powerplay while blanking Red Lake on four chances. |
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| Dryden completed a home-and-home sweep, skating out to a 3-0 lead and holding on for a 4-3 road win in Red Lake. The Ice Dogs ran their winning streak to four games and have a two-point lead atop the SIJHL standings through Friday. The Miners skidded to their fourth setback in a row. McLaren Paulsen scored his fifth of the year five seconds into a powerplay, collecting a rebound at 5:51 of the first to open the scoring for Dryden. Rylan Oatman made it two-zip 28 seconds later, sliding a shot under Cameron Mann's pad. Payton Hu got his ninth of the campaign, going over Mann's shoulder at 17:26 on another Dryden powerplay for the 3-0 lead. Nathan Dann collected his own rebound on a Red Lake powerplay with a single tick left on the scoreboard, connecting for his first of three, to shave the lead to two after one period. After a scoreless second, Red Lake rallied in the third, with Dann leading the charge. Dann's trademark wrister bulged the twine at 4:12 to reduce Dryden's lead to one. Carson Devine replied for Dryden, blasting a one-timer at 16:21. Mann was pulled for an extra attacker with 2:36 left. Dann's over-the-blocker snapper with 35 seconds left shaved the lead to one, but the Miners couldn't find the equalizer. Kellan Mooney made 38 saves for the Dryden win. Mann faced 32 shots in a losing cause. Devine and Paulsen had goals and assists each to pace the Dryden attack. Gabe Tanton assisted on two of Dann's three goals for the Miners. Dryden was 3-6 with the man advantage, while Red Lake was 1-6. The Ice Dogs took 30 of 54 penalty minutes. |
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 | AT IRONWOOD LUMBERJACKS |  | ||
| Fort Frances continued their impressive season with a 4-2 win over the Lumberjacks in Ironwood, MI. The Lakers climbed to 4-1-1 on the year. The Lumberjacks are winless through seven. Morgan Pevie's backhander on an Ironwood two-on-one at 2:57 of the first, four seconds after a successful Lumberjacks' penalty kill, opened the scoring. Ian Snooks tied it at one-all, converting Evan Kabel's behind the net feed for his second of the year. Ironwood and Fort Frances traded second period goals. Collin Baker's bullet wrist shot from the right dot on an Ironwood powerplay beat Nolan Koethler for a 2-1 Ironwood lead at 1:25. Pierce Gouin deposited a rebound past Kole Kronstedt at 12:40 to tie it at two-all. Fort Frances scored early and late in the third for their third consecutive win. Brady Krentz got his fifth at 33 seconds, and Landon Lowes made it 4-2 on a two-on-one with Krentz at 18:53 to salt it away. Lowes' powerplay marker was his first goal of the year. Lowes and Krentz had goals and assists each, and Kabel chipped in with two helpers to lead the charge for Fort. Baker added an assist for two points for Ironwood. Both goalies were among the three star selections. Koethler stopped 27 of 29 for first star status. Kronstedt shunted aside 37 of 41 in the loss. Baker squeezed in as number two star. Fort Frances was 1-3 on the powerplay, while Ironwood was 1-5. The Lakers took seven of 12 minor penalties. A crowd of 205 at the Pat O'Donnell Civic Center enjoyed the action. |
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| The Lakers completed a road weekend sweep with a 3-2 win over Ironwood on Saturday. Evan Kabel scored unassisted with 30 seconds left in regulation, cutting to the net after evading a check, and firing a backhander past Kole Kronstedt for the bone-crushing goal. The Lumberjacks remain winless after eight games. The Lakers now lead the SIJHL in winning percentage with a .786 mark, based on five wins, one loss and a tie. Kabel's second goal of the year proved an inglorious finish to Kronstedt's fine game between the Ironwood pipes. The Duluth, MN native stopped 43 of 46. Marshall Thomas had both Lumberjacks' goals and he opened the scoring on an unassisted wrap around at 4:54 of the first. Jack Wood knotted the score at 19:32 on a Lakers' powerplay, wristing one from the slot. After a scoreless second session, Thomas got his second powerplay goal at 11:43 of the third, snapping one low glove side on Gunner Paradis to give Ironwood a 2-1 lead with 8:17 to go. Brady Krentz responded on a Fort Frances powerplay, tucking a blocker-side snipe just inside the far post 1:16 later. Kabel's game-winner, with overtime looming and at least one Ironwood point in the offing, stunned the crowd of 242. Paradis ended the night with 22 saves and his second win of the year. Kabel added an assist for two points. Ironwood was 1-2 on the powerplay, while the Lakers were 2-3, improving their league-leading powerplay to 41.2 per cent efficiency. The Lakers took 11 of the 19 penalty minutes assessed. Kabel, Kronstedt and Thomas were one, two, three as stars of the game. |
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 | AT KENORA DEVIL'S GAP ISLANDERS |  | ||
| Thunder Bay had seven players register more than one point, paced by Chance Loke's two goals and three assists, and Easton Glousher's two goals and two helpers as the North Stars destroyed the Islanders 13-0 in Kenora. Keenan Marks picked up the shutout. Shots favoured Thunder Bay 57-16. Kendrick Marshall had two goals and an assist, Tyler Jordan had a pair, Beau Helmeczi had one goal and three apples, Jamieson Franz had two assists, and Connor Larrett and Cohen Tangedal added solos. Only three North Stars were held off the scoresheet. Ron Cailo absorbed all 13 goals in net for Kenora. A big hit thrown by Casey Lynn of Kenora precipitated a major dust up midway through the first. Three game misconducts and two fighting majors were assigned, along with two minor penalties. Just two minor penalties, both to Kenora--one in the second and one in the third--were called after that. Attendance was 210. |
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| Thunder Bay skated to an 11-1 drubbing of Kenora in a rare 11:30 morning start. Ben Laurette picked up the win in net for the Stars making 20 saves. James Sinclair shouldered the loss for the Islanders stopping 42 of 53. Thunder Bay held period leads of 3-0 and 7-1 en route to their sixth consecutive win and a share of first place. The offensive motherlode gives Thunder Bay 53 goals for on the season, with just 18 against. Tyler Jordan, Beau Helmeczi, defenceman Tag Bryson, Alex Remenda and rookie Evan Simeoni cracked the "top-11" in SIJHL point production courtesy of the weekend spree. All of Bryson's 12 points are assists. Jordan's eight goals pace the team. Remenda had two goals and two assists in this contest to lead the fray. Matthew Lysak had a goal and three helpers. Jordan and Cohen Tangedal had a goal and three points. Easton Glousher, Jack Forrester, Simeoni, and Jamieson Franz had a goal and assist each. Connor Larrett and Peter Forester also scored for Thunder. Loke, Friday's five-point man, was one of three North Stars held off the scoresheet. Ezekiel Kirkness was the lone sniper for Kenora, scoring at 17:51 of the second to make it 5-1. Kenora took 32 of 48 penalty minutes meted out. |
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