SUPERIOR INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
SIJHL MEDIA UPDATE
Release Date: Friday, April 14, 2017
Photo credit: Michael Christianson, Dryden Observer
Aubin’s 3rd period tallies secures GM Ice Dogs victory over Miners in Bill Salonen Cup opener
DRYDEN, Ont. – Braedyn Aubin supplied a pair of unassisted goals in the third period to help secure a Dryden GM Ice Dogs 5-2 victory over the English River Miners Friday in Game 1 of the Superior International Junior Hockey League’s Bill Salonen Cup final at Memorial Arena.
Up 1-0 in the best-of-seven series, the GM Ice Dogs will also host Game 2, which goes Saturday at 7:30 p.m. back at Memorial Arena.
Dryden picked up the opening tally of the series six minutes into the contest as affiliate Matthew Pitchenese unleashed a blast from the slot that trickled through Miners’ starter Michael Lenko before Chris Atanas stuffed the loose puck into the net to put the home side on the board.
After a lengthy delay following a multi-player altercation that resulted in multiple game misconducts as well as a GM Ice Dogs power play, the game saw Cory Dennis snap a shot towards the net from the right point that founds its way in through a maze of players in front with a deflection that was credited to Braeden Allkins that put the home side up by a pair.
Picking up a man advantage of their own moments later, English River got on the board with Austin Kuhn stuffing in a rebound off defenceman Zac Schlitt’s attempt from just inside the Dryden blue line.
However the home side regained the two-goal cushion with just over a minute remaining in the stanza as Dennis darted into the Miners’ zone then saucered a nice cross-ice pass over to a hard-charging Trey Palermo, who neatly chipped the puck over Lenko’s pad to make it 3-1 after two periods of play.
The GM Ice Dogs added another midway through the third as Aubin forced a turnover in the neutral zone then darted into English River territory and fired a low shot that went right through the legs of Lenko.
The Miners countered 13 seconds later as Dante Tisi’s long pass sent Braeden Pearce in alone on the right side as he snapped a shot past Dryden starter Patrick Zubick.
English River then pulled their netminder in favour of an extra attacker with 1:28 remaining, but Aubin iced it after intercepting a pass and sending a long distance chance into the empty net with 56 seconds to go to round out the night’s scoring.
Zubick picked up the win while making 29 stops along the way to improve to 5-0 in the playoffs while Lenko slipped to 4-2 with the loss seeing 46 shots fired his way.
The SIJHL champion will advance to the Dudley-Hewitt Cup Central Canada Jr. A Championship. May 2-6, in Trenton, Ont.
SIJHL Bill Salonen Cup Final (Series D)
No. 1 Dryden GM Ice Dogs vs. No. 3 English River Miners
Dryden leads best-of-seven series 1-0
Game 1: Dryden 5 English River 2
Game 2: Saturday, April 15 @ Dryden 7:30 p.m. (Memorial Arena)
Game 3: Tuesday, April 18 @ English River 7:30 p.m. (Cochenour Arena)
Game 4: Thursday, April 20 @ English River 7:30 p.m. (Cochenour Arena)
Game 5*: Saturday, April 22 @ Dryden 7:30 p.m. (Memorial Arena)
Game 6*: Monday, April 24 @ English River 7:30 p.m. (Cochenour Arena)
Game 7*: Wednesday, April 26 @ Dryden 7:30 p.m. (Memorial Arena)
*-if necessary