Dryden’s McLaren Paulsen has opened up a 10-point lead in the SIJHL scoring race (46 points), the first 20-20 man in 2024-25, with 20 goals and 26 helpers. Five other Ice Dogs are in the top ten: Max Roby, Carson Devine, Payton Hu, Eli Antoine and Emmanuel Nkombou. Dryden leads in points, 35, goals for, 125, PP%, 33.7% and penalty minutes, 504.
The first place Ice Dogs and second place Bombers split a weekend series. The defensively-minded Bombers have allowed the fewest goals at 52. Alex Lucas leads the team in scoring with 27 points. Matthew Ofukany, 2.32 goals against, and Matthew Spencer-Dahl, 2.60/.918 continue to excel in goal.
Kam River is 8-2-0 in their last 10. Jett Mintenko is second in the scoring race with 36 points. Daxton Lang, 14 goals 19 assists, is sixth in league scoring. Kaden Goodwin is 19th with 10 goals and 12 helpers. Former Lumberjack Sam Keene joins veteran Ashton Sadauskas between the pipes. Expect Keene’s numbers to keep improving. Sadauskas is 9-4-0.
Thunder Bay broke a four-game slump in a resounding 13-4 romp over Kenora on Saturday. The Stars joined Dryden in the triple-digit club–106 goals for in 19 games. Tyler Jordan is the top gun with 29 points. Alex Remenda, Beau Helmeczi, Cohen Tangedal, Tag Bryson, and top rookie producer Evan Simeoni are 12th, 13th, 14th, 16th and 17th in league scoring respectively. The Stars have the SI’s top penalty kill with a 92.1% rating. They’ve allowed five goals while killing off 63 penalties, scoring three shorthanded. The Stars have played 13 of 19 games on the road.
Fort Frances beat Thunder Bay and the Fighting Walleye in Week 10, continuing their rebuild ahead of schedule. The Lakers have points in 14 of their 20 games, and are five points out of second place. Gunner Paradis is 5-2-0, with a 2.37/.929 split. His save percentage leads the league. Brady Krentz has 23 points to lead the team in scoring.
Red Lake is now the league’s hottest entity, sporting a six-game unbeaten streak in regulation. Nathan Dann and Quinn Szpak have 24 and 21 points respectively. Ethan Rau leads the league with a 2.16 GAA in 250 minutes. Koen Webber is 6-2-0.
Ironwood lost two close ones to the Miners, but gained an overtime point on Friday and huge confidence boost with their improved play in Week 10. Marshall Thomas has 28 points (10th place in league scoring). Nolan Fowler has 18. Former Miner Trent Boryszczuk joins Kole Kronstedt between the pipes.
Kenora’s struggles continue. The Islanders are winless in their last 14 games. There’s been a marked decrease in Kenora’s penalty minute totals of late.
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AT SIOUX LOOKOUT BOMBERS |
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| Sioux Lookout took game one of the SIJHL’s marquee weekend showdown with a 3-2 win over Dryden before 389 fans at the Hangar. Dryden scored first and last but the Bombers sandwiched three unanswered goals in the middle frame to account for the scoring. Max Roby scored unassisted at 13:12 of the first going top shelf on Matthew Ofukany for a 1-0 Dryden lead. Owen Riffel, Alex Lucas and Sage Roberts replied in the second. Riffel, who was stymied on a breakaway by Dryden’s Kellan Mooney in the first period, fired in a point shot at 3:01 to tie the score. Lucas picked up his own rebound at 6:27. Roberts registered his first of the year with a wicked backhander after a face off win, going top cheese at 18:02 for a 3-1 Bomber lead. Dryden’s trademark powerplay struck with 2:08 left in regulation. Elias Eisenbarth scored from the point, with Carson Devine and Roby collecting assists. Devine’s 25 helpers ties him with teammate McLaren Paulsen for most in the league. Mooney was pulled for an extra man with a minute to go and Sioux Lookout drew a late penalty prior to that to add to the drama, but the Bombers held on for their ninth win (and a tie) in their last ten games to draw to within five points of the Ice Dogs with two games in hand. Ofukany stopped 23 of 25 for his eighth win while Mooney had 32 saves, dropping to 9-2-0 on the season. Dryden was 1-4 with the man advantage while Sioux Lookout was 0-3. Dryden was assessed 18 penalty minutes to Sioux Lookout’s 10. |
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| Kellan Mooney became the first SIJHL goalie to reach 10 wins as Dryden reversed the tables with a 3-2 over Sioux Lookout at Lac Seul Events Centre on Saturday. Dryden overcame a one-goal deficit with a pair of goals 45 seconds apart midway through the third to regain their seven-point lead over the second place Bombers. Alex Lucas got the Bombers on the board at 7:43 of the second frame, scoring on a rebound from the slot for his 14th of the year. Max Roby deflected Carter Goreniuk’s point shot at 2:06 of the third to knot the score. Beau Bannerman’s first of the year from the point but the Bombers up 2-1 66 seconds later. Elias Eisenbarth’s sixth of the campaign on a 2-on-1 tied the game at 9:55 setting the stage for McLaren Paulsen’s game winner. Paulsen’s 20th of the year through Matthew Spencer-Dahl 45 seconds later proved to be the game winner. Paulsen is the first player to reach 20 goals this year. Mooney made multiple clutch saves in a Bomber flurry with about three minutes to go. Spencer-Dahl left the Sioux Lookout cage with 1:10 left but the equalizer failed to materialize for the home team. Paulsen also garnered an assist and Eli Antoine had two helpers for Dryden. Sioux Lookout was 0-4 on the powerplay. Dryden failed in their lone attempt. |
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