By Tanner Schafer
Spooner, WI – In a rare Tuesday night game the Ice Dogs were able to shake off a slow start that included falling down 3-0 in the first period to come back and defeat the Wisconsin Lumberjacks 7-4.
11 minutes in it was the McClure twins that started the scoring for Wisconsin with Cooper scoring the goal and Connor picking up an assist with defensemen Neil Pretorious. The Lumberjacks would find 2 more goals in the waning minutes of the first as SIJHL leading scorer Ryder McMillen found the back of the net on the power play for his 24th of the year. Defensemen Dylan Jouppi and captain Salvatore Poggiali picked up the assists. That goal was quickly followed by Dylan Olsen scoring with just under a minute remaining, Dillon Phillips and Poggiali picked up the helpers.
In the 2nd it was all Dryden GM as the Ice Dogs scored 6 straight goals. Derek Koivisto started the party less than 2 minutes into the frame igniting the comeback. Goals by McLaren Paulsen and Brady Frattinger would even the score at 3. Frattinger would go back-to-back scoring his 2nd of the game and giving Dryden its 1st lead. Koivisto scored his 2nd taking advantage of a bad Wisconsin turnover, that goal would eventually be marked as the game winner. Kaden Bandura would make it 6-3 a short while later, all 6 goals coming in the first 13 minutes of the 2nd period. Cooper McClure would score his 2nd of the game on the power play with just under 5 minutes remaining hoping to spark a comeback headed into the 3rd.
The Dryden GM Ice Dogs would foil any attempt at a comeback as they scored a power play goal early in the 3rd to claim a 7-4 lead. From that point on both goaltenders would secure their nets and not allow any goals for the remainder of the game.
Eric Clark stopped 5 of 8 shots before being pulled from the game for Dryden. Zac McDonald would enter in his place stopping 24 of 25 and picking up the win. Kyler Lowden made 38 saves in a losing effort. The 2 teams will play again on Wednesday in Spooner.