DRYDEN, Ont. – An early offensive barrage was just enough to earn the Kam River Fighting Walleye a share of top spot in the Superior International Junior Hockey League.
Jeremy Dunmore and Nickolas Fagnilli staked the visiting Walleye to a 2-0 lead in the first over the Dryden Ice Dgos.
Carter Poddubny and Edwin Liang scored 2:21 apart in the second to up the Fighting Walleye advantage to 4-0, but the Ice Dogs finally found their offensive game, Bryce Benfield and Eli Antoine lighting the lamp before the middle stanza ended, cutting Kam River’s lead to 5-2.
Down 6-2 after Dunmore potted his second of the night 3:21 into the third, Benfield and Sean Smith tallied to close the gap to 6-4, but they’d get no closer.
Benfield was stymied by Kam River goaltender Austin Sadauskas with 6:56 to go in the third, after he was awarded a penalty shot.
Sadauskas made 43 saves on the night.
Liam Vanderkooi stopped 24 of 30 Fighting Walleye shots before giving way in net to Ewan Soutar, who was a perfect 8-for-8.
The Fighting Walleye improved to 14-2-0 and extended their winning streak to eighth. They’re tied with the Thunder Bay North Stars for first place, but hold three games in hand.
Red Lake 3, Thunder Bay 2 (SO): The North Stars battled back from two goals down, but couldn’t prevail in the shootout. Miners forward Luke DeCorby was the only player to light the lamp in the penalty-shot competition, beating Thunder Bay goaltender Ethan Barron. Austin Derzaph scored the only goal of the first and Ethan Cereone doubled the Red Lake Lead at 7:38 of the third. Tyler Jordan and Easton Mikus, with his 15th of the season, scored less than three minutes apart in the third to tie the score. Miners goaltender Ethan Neitsch was perfect in the shootout, stopping Jordan, Mikus and Edison Weeks.
Fort Frances 4, Kenora 1: Ryker Watt scored a pair to lead the Lakers past the Islanders. Jack Wood and Pierce Gouin also scored for Fort Frances, who won for just the fourth time this season. Aaron Bertschinger had Kenora’s lone goal of the night.
Sioux Lookout 4, Wisconsin 1: The Bombers jumped in front 2-0 on goals by Blake Burke and Tait Howell and went on to down the Lumberjacks at home. Owen Riffel and Connor Burke also scored for Sioux Lookout (12-5-2). Carson Shafor scored for Wisconsin (5-9-3).
