Eli Antoine’s five goals in a single period was put an exclamation point on Dryden’s week as the Ice Dogs opened up a six-point lead in the SIJHL standings. The Ice Dogs travel to Thunder Bay for a Tuesday match, then entertain the Fighting Walleye on Saturday and Sunday. The ‘Dogs have a 13-game point streak on the line. Twelve of those 13 games are wins.
McLaren Paulsen leads the league in scoring with 39 points on 16 goals and 23 assists. Carson Devine has 32, and Max Roby and Payton Hu have 31 points each. Emmanuel Nkombou has 26 points to hold down sixth place in league scoring. Dryden’s 107 goals pace the league.
Thunder Bay’s point streak came to an end with Sioux Lookout’s weekend sweep. As head coach Rob DeGagne noted, the team is allowing too many goals of late. Not too many of them are on the penalty kill however, as the Stars lead the league with a 94.2% kill rate. Tyler Jordan has 25 points, Alex Remenda 23, and rookie Evan Simeoni has 22. All three in the top 10. Rookie Marcellus Francis cracks the top-20 with nine goals and six assists in seven games played.
The Bombers are a point back of Thunder Bay, with six wins and a tie in their last seven. Alex Lucas has 16 points (10 goals) to pace the team offensively. Captain Jonah Smith has 15 points. The Bombers have allowed a league-low 43 goals. Goalies Matthew Ofukany (2.27 GAA, .928 SV%) and Matthew Spencer-Dahl (2.75 GAA, .924 SV%) are a big part of that.
Kam River is on a five-game heater with a big away series with Dryden fast approaching. Jett Mintenko’s 29 points paces the team offensively. Captain Daxton Lang has 23. Ashton Sadauskas has an 8-2-0 record, with a 2.60 GAA and .916 in his 10 60-minute starts.
Fort Frances turnaround season has them in fifth place, a win above .500 with an equal amount of goals for and against (47). Brady Krentz is averaging over a point a game and Jack Wood and Gavin Simon are right behind. The Lakers have a 30.0% powerplay, good for second place behind Dryden’s 37.8%.
Red Lake has a big series away against the Lakers in week nine. Just minus-3 in goal differential, the Miners are looking to reach .500 with a sweep. Nathan Dann has 18 points and rookie Quinn Szpak has 16 to pace the attack. Recent addition Ethan Rau has impressed in his two starts in net, sporting a 1.02 GAA and .964 SV%. He already has one of the six shutouts posted by goalies this year.
Ironwood ventures to Fort Frances for a Tuesday tilt, badly in need of a win. They’re on a eight-game slide. Marshall Thomas continues to shine, with 22 points in 18 games. Goalie Kole Kronstedt has appeared in a league-high 15 games with 783 minutes. The Ironwood powerplay is clicking along at 25.0%.
Kenora has a weekend pair away against Sioux Lookout with just four points on the year. Josh Boyko’s seven goals highlights the offence.
Two Tuesday games, two on Friday, three on Saturday and a Kam River/Dryden barn burner on Sunday highlight Week 9 action.
 | AT FORT FRANCES LAKERS |  | ||
| Nolan Koethler stopped 41 of 42 shots as the Fort Frances Lakers broke their six game winless streak with a 3-1 victory over Red Lake before 275 fans at Ice for Kids Arena. Newcomer Ethan Rau made 27 saves on 29 shots in his debut with Miners and saw his club fall to 5-8-0 on the year after winning their first three games of the season. Both Koethler and Rau kept scoring to a minimum. Jack Wood scored at 17:13 of the second on a Lakers' powerplay, firing a one-timer on a cross-ice feed from Kobie Anderson to break the ice. Landon Lowes made it 2-0 for the Lakers at 12:02 of the third. Brady Krentz, fresh out of the penalty box, set up Lowes on a two-on-one. Lowes' deke and backhander on Rau proved pivotal. Gabe Tanton's point shot beat Koethler with 3:02 left to end his shutout bid and set up an exciting finish. Rau left the next for an extra attacker with 2:05 to go. Emerson Evans netted his second of the year into an empty net with a minute left to put a lock on the game. The Miners were 0-4 on the powerplay. Fort Frances, second in the league in powerplay proficiency, went 1-5 with the man advantage. |
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 | AT RED LAKE MINERS | | ||
| Rau snared his first shutout in his second start making 18 saves, and Sullivan Menard led the attack with two goals as Red Lake defeated Kenora 5-0 at Cochenour Arena. Kayne Pawlick, Quinn Szpak and Menard scored 2:11 apart in the middle of the first period to jump start the Miners to a 3-0 lead. Jager Marshall added one in the second and Menard fired in his second of the game and the season and 1:42 of the third to round out the scoring. All of the Miner goals came at even strength. The Islanders took just one minor penalty, and Miners had three. James Sinclair was pulled at the 9:46 mark of the first--right after Szpak's sixth of the season. Sinclair took the loss, stopping 10 of 12. Ron Cailo made 21 saves in 24 shots in the remaining 50-plus minutes. Rau's busiest period was the second, when he made 10 stops. He has a 1.02 GAA through 118 minutes with a .964 SV% to lead all SIJHL goalies in those departments. Gabe Tanton fed Pawlick at 8:48 of the first to open the scoring. Szpak was wide open beating Sinclair for his sixth less than a minute later. Menard registered his first, collecting a loose puck at 10:59 and firing it in past Cailo at 10:59. The puck was promptly retrieved as a keepsake marking Menard's first SIJHL goal. Marshall clicked on a backhander in the second and Menard completed the scoring at 1:42 of the third on a low snipe. Final shots favoured Red Lake 36-18. The Miners snapped a three-game losing streak. Marshall and Szpak added assists and Tanton had two helpers for the winners. The Islanders were 0-3, Red Lake was 0-1, with the man advantage. |
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 | AT THUNDER BAY NORTH STARS |  | ||
| The SIJHL-champion Bombers continued their mastery of the North Stars with a 6-4 win before 265 fans at Fort William Gardens. The loss snapped Thunder Bay's 12-game points streak. All three of Thunder Bay's losses have come at the hands of Sioux Lookout. Down 5-1 by 12:07 of the second, Thunder Bay got the score to 5-4, before Owen Riffel's empty netter at 18:35 of the third salted it away for the Bombers. Matthew Lysak intercepted a pass and beat Matthew Ofukany at 1:31 of the first to get the Stars on the board. Kaden Veller tied it at 11:14, going high glove from the slot on Ben Laurette for his fifth. Ofukany handled Tyler Jordan's penalty shot effort at 18:13 to keep it tied at one apiece through one. The Bombers outshot Thunder Bay 20-13 in the second frame and had four goals to show for it. Former North Star Garren Voisey's point shot on a Sioux Lookout powerplay put the visitors ahead. Ashton Cuvelier did a little garbage cleanup at 8:28 on a Bomber powerplay for a 3-1 lead. Owen Riffel got his third of the year midway through the second unassisted and Tait Howell made it 5-1 with a low one-timer. Evan Simeoni breathed some life into the Stars with his ninth of the campaign on a Stars' powerplay to narrow the margin to three goals at 15:29 of the second. Marcellus Francis continued to impress, notching his ninth midway through the third, and Simeoni struck from the slot after a Tag Bryson intercept and Beau Helmeczi feed sent him into the clear to tighten the score to 5-4. With 7:10 left to go the stage was set for the Stars to tie it up. Riffel, the SIJHL top scorer last year, got his second of the game into an empty net to put the game away. Ofukany made 30 saves for his sixth win. Laurette stopped 31 of 36 to see his record fall to 6-2-0. Multi-point scorers for Sioux Lookout included Veller with three points, Riffel, Cuvelier and Howell with two. For Thunder Bay, Simeoni added one assist to his two goals. Francis had an assist and Helmeczi added two helpers. The Bombers were 2-4 on their rejuvenated powerplay (now 15.1% after a slow start). Thunder Bay was 1-4 with the man advantage, and their otherworldly penalty kill dropped to 93.8% after allowing two while shorthanded. |
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| The Bombers continued their mastery of the North Stars, sweeping Thunder Bay with a 4-2 win before 610 fans at the Gardens. The Stars only regulation losses--four in total--have come at the hands of Sioux Lookout. Eric Blazino's first goal of the year at 11:46 of the third was the game winner, and Matthew Spencer-Dahl stopped 39 of 41 to backstop the win. The Bombers are a point back of Thunder Bay, with a six wins and a tie in their last seven contests. Rookie Evan Simeoni continued his fine season scoring his 11th of the year on a rebound to give Thunder Bay a 1-0 first period lead. The Stars outshot the Bombers 21-10 in the first, but the Bombers responded with two in the second frame. Ty Love and Brodie Wood put the visitors ahead 2-1. Love's wrister from the slot, his first goal of the year, beat Keenan Marks glove side, and Wood converted Jonah Smith's cross-crease feed for his third. At 7:44 of the middle period Wood was helped off the ice after a boarding hit by Eric Sheriff crumpled him to the ice, ending both players' evenings. Alex Remenda tied it at 4:21 of the third. Cohen Tangedal's wrap around pass/shot found its way on Remenda's stick for his 10th. Blazino, a Thunder Bay native, put the Bombers ahead at 11:46. Marks left the North Stars' cage with 1:50 remaining, but Kaden Veller teed one up at centre ice and slid the insurance goal home with 26 seconds left. Tyler Jordan compiled two assists for Thunder Bay, the only multi-point player for either side. Marks made 31 saves in the loss. Thunder Bay was 0-5 with the man advantage while Sioux Lookout was 0-4. |
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 | AT IRONWOOD LUMBERJACKS |  | ||
| Dryden ran their points streak to 12 games with an 8-3 win over Ironwood. Payton Hu led the Ice Dogs' attack with a pair of goals. Carson Devine had a goal and two assists giving him 30 points on the year. McLaren Paulsen leads the SIJHL points parade, picking up a goal and helper in this game for 36 on the season. Elias Eisenbarth and Max Roby also had goals and assists, and Eli Antoine had two helpers. The 'Dogs have five of the top seven scorers and lead the SI in goals with 97 overall. The Lumberjacks are on a seven-game losing streak. Dryden led 3-0 through one, 6-1 after two, and the teams traded two goals each in the third. Devine, Eisenbarth and Hu did the damage in the first for Dryden. Devine and Hu scored on the powerplay. Nolan Fowler deflected a Jack Croghan shot at 6:03 of the second period to get the 'Jacks on the board, shaving the lead to 3-1. Paulsen recorded his 15th to restore the three-goal margin, Nicholas McCallen scored his first SIJHL goal at 17:27, and Kelby Diehl dialed in his fourth of the year for Dryden's third powerplay marker. In the third, Hu made it 7-1 Dryden. Josh Gulden sniped one past Braxton Castagno from a tough angle on an Ironwood powerplay, and Croghan hit the top corner to make it 7-3. Roby scored unassisted--Dryden fourth powerplay goal of the game--to polish off the scoring. Dryden was 4-5 on the powerplay, boosting their league-leading powerplay to 35.5% on the season. Ironwood was 2-6. The Ice Dogs accumulated 28 penalty minutes to 18 for Ironwood. Braxton Castagno collected the goaltending win, collecting his sixth 'W' of the year. Sam Keene stopped 36 of 42 in two periods of action, taking the loss. Kole Kronstedt appeared in his 14th game of the year, shunting aside seven of the nine shots he faced in the third. Attendance was 250. |
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| Eli Antoine had a game for the ages, scoring five unanswered goals in the third period for a 10-2 Dryden win over the Ironwood Lumberjacks. The teams were tied 2-2 midway through the second period before Dryden pumped in three to take a 5-2 lead heading into Antoine's historic finish in the final frame. McLaren Paulsen scored into a wide open net after Kole Kronstedt made an initial save for a 1-0 Dryden lead. Max Roby registered his 16th at 10:55 to make it 2-0. Nolan Fowler scored an unassisted shorthanded marker for Ironwood with 17 seconds left in the period to narrow the lead to one. Fowler connected for his second of the game, this time on a Lumberjacks' powerplay, to tie the game at 2-2. Roby and Jordan Wales scored on Dryden powerplays 27 seconds apart, and Carson Devine added his ninth at 18:31 to open up a 5-2 Ice Dogs lead. Antoine's barrage started at 6:22 of the third. He got one through the legs of Kronstedt for his first. Emmanuel Nkombou set up Antoine for a shorthanded snipe at 11:28. Antoine buried a backhander at 13:55 for the hat trick. Goals four and five came at 17:27 and 19:08 on Dryden powerplays. Antoine ended the game with 11 goals on the season. Roby added an assist, Paulsen had two assists, Nkombou assisted on four goals, Payton Hu had three assists, and Elias Eisenbarth added two apples. Paulsen is barking at 40 points with 16 goals and 23 helpers for 39 on the year. Devine, Roby and Hu are over 30, and Nkombou has 26 points on the year good for 6th place in SIJHL production. The 'Dogs shot past 100 team goals with 107 in 17 games. Braxton Castagno elevated his record to 7-1-1 making 29 saves. Kronstedt stopped 38 of 48. Kronstedt leads the league with 783 minutes between the pipes. |
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| AT KAM RIVER FIGHTING WALLEYE |  | ||
| Jett Mintenko recorded four assists and Ashton Sadauskas won his league-leading eighth game as Kam River handed visiting Fort Frances a 5-1 loss before 455 patrons at Norwest Arena. Evan Lachimea swept in a low shot from the slot area to open the scoring at 11:05 of the first for Kam River. Daxton Lang doubled the lead at 15:16, emerging from the penalty box, accepting a Mintenko pass, and clicking on a breakaway for his ninth. The teams were scoreless through the second. Pierce Gouin scored off Sadauskas' glove early in the third period to narrow the lead to 2-1. Amar Powar restored Kam's two-goal margin 36 seconds later. Edwin Liang's powerplay one-timer at 7:40 made it 4-1 and Kaden Goodwin scored his sixth of the year exactly 10 minutes later on a backhander five-hole through Nolan Koethler to nail it down. Lang added two assist for a three-point night. Goodwin and Lachimea also had assists. Koethler stopped 34 of 39 in the loss. Gunner Paradis made a 3:14 cameo appearance for the Lakers. The Walleye win avenged two prior losses against the Lakers earlier in the year. Kam River has reeled off five consecutive wins and sits in fourth place with games in hand. The Lakers are hanging in, 3-4-3 in their last 10 games. |
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