DRYDEN, Ont. – The Red Lake Miners got a pair of goals, including the game-winner, from their captain Shaye Sommerfeld as part of an eventual 5-4 decision over the Dryden GM Ice Dogs in a Superior International Junior Hockey League contest Friday at Memorial Arena.
The victory moves the Miners four points ahead of the Thunder Bay North Stars in the race for top spot in the SIJHL standings, with the second-place Stars holding two games in hand however.
Red Lake started strong in this one, skating out to a 3-0 lead before the midway mark of the first period on markers from Morgan Venne, Noah Kwasny and Hunter Halcrow.
Dryden did get one back at 9:27 with Samson Mouland getting his first of the season.
The visitors went back up by three just 20 seconds into the middle stanza with Sommerfeld neatly redirecting a right point shot from Carson Lux.
Answering back in the latter portion of the frame, the GM Ice Dogs scored twice to get right back in it as Curtis Magas and Dylan DiTomaso both found the back of the net, less than a half-minute apart to make it 4-3 after two.
Mouland then converted from close range early in the third with his second of the evening with help from another assist courtesy of Magas.
The Miners did regroup and got the difference maker with 7:46 remaining in regulation, as during a man advantage, as Sommerfeld stuffed in his second of the night from the left of the crease in what proved to be the night’s final tally.
Venne, Lux and Ethan Stuckless chipped in with two assists apiece for Red Lake.
Miners’ starter Zach Willms made 32 saves to record his 25th win of the season, which matches his own franchise record for victories in a campaign set in 2018-19.
Dryden netminder Jacob Anthony meanwhile faced 40 shots in defeat.
The two teams will finish off a home-and-home Saturday at Cochenour Arena in Red Lake, with game time set for 7 p.m.
Photo credit: Kerri-Ann Kanceruk