OLIVER PAIPOONGE -- There will be a first-time Superior International Junior Hockey League champion crowned in 2022.
The Red Lake Miners on Sunday finished off the Dryden Ice Dogs in five games, downing them 5-1 on home ice thanks largely to Jordan Baranesky's four-goal performance.
They'll take to the road on Thursday night to kick off the best-of-seven Bill Salonen Cup final against the Kam River Fighting Walleye in a battle of the top two teams from the regular season.
Games 1 and 2 will go Thursday and Friday night at the Norwest Arena, with Games 3 and 4 shifting to Red Lake next Monday and Tuesday. Game 5, if necessary, will be back in Oliver Paipoonge on May 28. Game 6, if necessary would be two nights later in Red Lake, with a seventh and deciding game slated for May 3 at the Norwest Arena.
The two teams split their eight-game regular season series, each team scoring 32 goals against the other team.
