Taylor Santorelli and the Thunder Bay North Stars skated into Dryden and started the New Year with a win.
Santorelli netted the winner four minutes in the third as the North Stars returned from the Christmas break with a 3-2 win over the Ice Dogs.
Brandon Wolframe and Cary Brown had staked the Stars to a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes, but Chris Belhumeur and Tim Kavanaugh brought Dryden back to even ground, scoring 56 seconds apart in the first two minutes of the final stanza.
With the win the North Stars improved to 19-6-4, tied for second in the Superior International Junior Hockey League. Dryden fell to 16-19-2.
The two teams will try it again on Saturday night.
Elsewhere in the SIJHL, the front-running Fort Frances Lakers overcame an early first-period deficit, scoring three times in the third to pull out a 7-4 win over the English River Miners.
Kevin Kurm, Mason Meyer and Patrick Sofer were the difference makers in the final frame.\
At Hoyt Lakes Arena, the Minnesota Iron Rangers erupted for six first-period goals and went on to defeat the Wisconsin Wilderness 9-2.
Matt O’Dea had a pair of goals and an assist and Trevor Hoth had a goal and two assists to pace the Iron Rangers attack.
