By Brett Richter
With the fun, camaraderie, and casual pace of the skills competition behind them, 40 of the SIJHL’s most skilled players dressed for Saturday night’s 25th SIJHL anniversary All-Star game in Dryden, Ontario. The Red Team, coached by Jake Gushue of Dryden and assisted by Ben Hackl and Chris Johnstone, enter the contest as the home team. The White Team, coached by Kam River’s Larry Wintoneak and assisted by Foster Couvier and Matthew Ray assumed the role of the visiting team for the 7:30 pm face. The special anniversary weekend for the SIJHL was coordinated with the 25th anniversary of the Dryden GM Ice Dog franchise making this a truly celebratory weekend.
After a January 16 draft selection process, each team in the SIJHL sent a minimum of four players to the All-Star weekend. Although known to each other, the process of putting lines and pairings together for Saturday’s event fell to the coaching staff with only one game day practice session prior to the game.
As the teams took the ice, the home team dressed in red jerseys, blue breezers and red socks with the visiting team dressed in all white. Dryden Ice Dog goalie Mavric Welk, started in net for Red Team while net minder Sam Keene from the Kam River Walleye took the crease for the White Team. The Red Team opened the scoring when North Star Matthew Bertolin cleaned up a loose puck in the crease. The lone assist was credited to Nickolas Fagnilli of the Fort Frances Lakers. The Red Team led 1-0 with just over five minutes gone in the first. With a rare All-Star penalty called at the 10-minute mark, the Red Team power play added a second goal via the stick of Sioux Lookout Bomber, Brodie Wood. Assists on the Wood goal were credited to Ice Dog Adrian Mendoza and Ironwood Lumberjack, Jack Carruthers.
At the end of the first, Red Team led 2-0 over the White Team. The Red Team peppered goalie Sam Keene with 22 shots with Keene making 20 saves. Red Team goalie Mavric Welk stopped all 16 of the shots he faced in the first 20 minutes.
As is the custom in hockey, the second period began with the teams trading ends of the rink creating the dreaded “long change”. Team Red entered the second period with the same momentum it concluded the first leading to an early second period goal by Thunder Bay North Star Chance Loke. Loke’s high blocker goal was assisted by his North Star teammate, Matthew Bertolin. With just over one minute gone in the second, the Red Team extended the lead to 3-0. With a rush from the Red Team, SIJHL leading scored Payton Hu of the Ice Dogs put a shot past the White Team netminder stretching the lead to four. Hu’s goal was unassisted. With eight minutes gone, the White Team offense finally woke up as Kaden Goodwin of the Kam River Fighting Walleye got a shot past Mavric Welk. Goodwin’s goal was assisted by Evan Simeoni of the North Stars.
At the midway point of the game, both coaches replaced their goaltenders with Sam Keene of the White Team being replaced by Brady Cates of the Fort Frances Lakers. Mavric Welk was replaced by Sioux Lookout Bomber, Matthew Ofukany. Keene ended his All-Star stint stopping 25 of 29 shots in roughly 30 minutes. Mavric Welk was credited with 20 saves on 21 shots during his time in the crease. Both new goalies held their opponents at bay through the remainder of the second period as the period ended with the Red Team up by a score of 4-1.
The last 20 minutes of the All-Star weekend began with a sense of urgency from the White Team. Behind by three goals, the White Team ratcheted up the forecheck and pressured the Red Team at every opportunity. The White Team pressure led to a holding penalty being called on Red Team defenseman Jake Scott from the Lumberjacks. But the Red Team was undeterred and scored a shorthanded goal as Matthew Bertolin tallied his second of the game. Assists were credited to Matthew’s brother, Lucas Bertolin of the North Stars and Ice Dog, Nicholas McCallen. Smelling blood in the water, the Red Team turned up the wick on the White Team when Elias Elsenbarth scored with assists credited to the all Ice Dog line including Payton Hu and Adrian Mendoza. With less than 10 minutes remaining, the Red Team led 6-1. But the White Team would not go away. Kam River’s Carter Poddubny split the defense and put a wrist shot past the Red Team goaltender tightening the score to 6-2. But with just over one minute left in the contest, Red Lake Miner Jakob Boekelder popped in an unassisted goal and last tally of the contest for a final All-Star game score of 7-2.
Brady Cates stopped 12 of the15 shots he faced in the second half of the game. Matthew Ofukany was credited with 21 saves on 22 shots. The White Team player of the game was awarded goaltender Sam Keene. The Red Team player of the game was credited to Chance Loke.
With the All-Star weekend wrapping up, SIJHL league action returns to the rink on Tuesday as the Sioux Lookout Bombers take on the Thunder Bay North Stars. Follow SIJHL.TV for all the action.
