Photos: Kerri-Ann Kanceruk
Dryden, ON – It was a battle between the longest running team in the SIJHL and the new and upstart team in the league as Dryden GM and Kenora hooked up for the first time this season Friday night. When all was said and done the experienced club would prevail in a convincing 7-1 victory at the Memorial Arena.
The Islanders held their own in the opening period as goalie Matthew Stephens made several key saves to keep his team in it. Kenora entered the game with the most goals against but the 19-year-old goalie stood tall and denied the hometown Ice Dogs of an early outburst. It took until the 13:22 mark for Dryden GM to finally solve Stephens. It started with a solid defensive stand inside the Ice Dogs zone and shorthanded the home team broke out 2-1. Carson Devine waited for the defender to go down, walked around him and delivered a perfect pass to a wide open Kaden Bandura. The 19-yeard-old from Sherwood Park, Alberta buried it to score his second goal of the young season and the second shorthanded goal of the year for the club. The Ice Dogs would continue to press finishing with a 21-5 advantage in shots. Despite the physical play of both teams, there were only 12 minutes in penalties assessed, all on one play.
Dryden GM didn’t let up in the second frame as they continued to attack. Kenora struggled against an aggressive forecheck and was unable to establish time and chances in the offensive zone. The Ice Dogs also showcased great transition play out of their own territory and it paid off at 5:19. Eli Antoine was upended in the neutral zone resulting in a delayed penalty but veteran forward Bryce Benefield stayed with the play, grabbed the puck and walked past a defender to bury his first goal of the campaign. The Ice Dogs refused to take the foot off the pedal as the pressure finally got to the Kenora defence. Rylan Maier forced a turnover at the side of the net, skated out front and buried the puck to make it a 3-0 game. Benefield and Whittaker Heart earned assists, the first point of the season for Heart. Kenora finally was able to mount some offensive pressure but Dogs goalie Michael O’Sullivan was equal to the task. The Islanders best opportunity game on a Tristen Bear breakaway but the Kenora forward just missed blocker side. Dryden GM outshot Kenora 17-4 in the period.
Not much changed in the third period as the Ice Dogs picked up where they left off. Fifty-five seconds into the frame Sebastiano Biagi fired a wrist shot on net and Max Roby changed the pucks direction for his eighth goal of the season. Carson Devine got things rolling with the second assist. Dryden GM would make it a 5-0 game about two minutes later when a suffocating presence in the neutral zone resulted in Geoff Bjarnason finding a wide open Whittaker Heart who outwaited Matthew Stephens putting the puck over the sprawling goaltender for his first SIJHL goal. Dryden GM would add to their lead at the 12:51 mark as Tag Bryson found an opening in the high slot and received a perfect feed from Sean Smith to bury the puck padding the Ice Dogs lead to 6-0. Elias Eisenbarth recorded the second assist on the pretty passing play. Four minutes later Devine accepted a feed from Bryson and beat Stephens to make it 7-0.
With only a handful of shots allowed by the Ice Dogs defence things were looking good for a second shutout for Michael O’Sullivan, however with just over three minutes left in the game defenceman Darian Sinclair snuck in and found space at the side of the net and received a tape-to-tape pass from Jayden McPherson-Nepinak to put the Islanders on the board. Keanu Woodhouse also earned an assist, his 4th of the young season. Dryden GM would close the game winning 7-1, out shooting Kenora 58-20.The two teams will go at it again Saturday night at 7:30 central.
Three Stars
- Bryce Benefield-Dryden GM (1 goal and 1 assist)
- Kaden Bandura-Dryden GM (1 goal)
- Carson Devine-Dryden GM (1 goal and 2 assists)
Attendance: 627
