DRYDEN, Ont. – The Dryden Ice Dogs may have salvaged their season on Sunday afternoon.
The host squad chased Dougie Newhouse from the Thunder North Stars net, scoring twice on their first six shots of the opening period, then didn’t flinch when their opponent, ranked second in the country, scored a pair of power play goals to start the second.
Dryden held strong, scoring twice to re-establish a two-goal lead and held on for a 5-3 Game 3 triumph to pick up their first win of the best-of-seven Superior International Junior Hockey League semifinal series.
“Coach preached all series that we just needed to take one at home and then to carry on after that,” said Dryden’s most valuable player candidate Eric Stout, who scored an empty netter from his own blue-line in the final minute of regulation to put the game away, adding an assist on Ryan Brandt’s third-period game-winner.
“It’s a big game tomorrow and that’s all we’re looking forward to right now.”
The start set the tone, and it was a never-give-up attitude that helped the Ice Dogs, the two-time defending SIJHL champions, weather a penalty storm that saw Kyle Auger fire a wrist shot past Dryden goalie Jacob Anthony 83 seconds into the middle stanza with two Ice Dogs in the box and Jacob Brown knot the game 2-2 1:14 later, Curtis Magas still serving the second of the two infractions.
“The boys, we’re a family, so we don’t argue. They got a couple power-play goals, but that didn’t stop us for nothing,” Stout said. “We’re feeling (great). We’re going to go 100 per cent and we’re unstoppable right now,” said Stout, whose goal was his third of the post-season.
North Stars coach Rob DeGagne said he didn’t want to pull Newhouse, making his first start of the playoffs, but felt he had no choice, his team in an early 2-0 hole.
“It really wasn’t Dougie’s fault. The first shot was a good shot, the second, maybe he was screened a little bit,” DeGagne said.
“I hated to pull him, but I had to pull him to maybe light a fire under us a little bit and get us back going a little bit because I didn’t want it to slide from there.”
The response was just what DeGagne was looking for from his troops.
“They battled back to 2-2, but (Dryden) just played a little more desperate than we did,” DeGagne said. “I think it showed a little bit, especially later in the game. We just didn’t have that jump tonight that I’d like to see.”
The chances just didn’t come in the third, needing a goal to send the series to a third straight overtime.
“We just didn’t play with the urgency,” DeGagne said.
North Stars forward Jacob Anttonen, who pulled Thunder Bay to within a goal late in the second, said the team learned a valuable lesson heading into Monday’s Game 4.
“We’ve just got to play right from the hop. The first, second and third period, we’ve got play all three periods,” Antonnen said. “We’ve got to use the body, shoot more pucks. We’ve just got to do the little things. That’s what I’m pretty sure hurt us.”
Evan Nicholas and Josh Bryant had back-to-back chances later in the third to tie the game, but Anthony, who made 37 stops, held strong.
Brock Aiken, who took over from Newhouse, stopped 40 of 42 shots he faced.
Game 5 will be played Wednesday night at Fort William Gardens.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Dryden, Huemmert 2 (unassisted) 5:49. 2. Dryden, Magas 3 (Palermo) 7:56. Penalties: None.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 3. Thunder Bay, Auger 1 (unassisted) 1:23 pp. 4. Thunder Bay, Brown 2 (Gerrie, Mihalcin) 2:37 pp. 5. Dryden, Pakkala 4 (unassisted) 8:50. 6. Dryden, Brandt (Shea, Stout) 18:07 pp. 7. Thunder Bay, Anttonen 1 (Gillis, Mignault) 18:32. Penalties: Bassi DRY (slashing) 0:33, Magas DRY (holding) 1:05, Mrakic TB (slashing) 10:32, Siebenga DRY (slashing) 15:39, Mihalcin TB (slashing) 17:46.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 8. Dryden, Stout (unassisted) 19:25 en. Penalties: Fortin TB (interference) 3:10, Magas DRY (boarding) 7:40, Pakkala DRY (cross checking) 10:54.
GAME DATA – SOG – Thunder Bay 11-17-12-40, Dryden 17-14-19-50; Power plays (goals-chances) – Thunder Bay (2-5), Dryden (1-3); Goaltenders – Thunder Bay: Dougie Newhouse (six shots, four saves), Brock Aiken (7:56, first period), Dryden: Jacob Anthony; A: 674.
