DRYDEN, ONTARIO – When the Superior International Junior Hockey League season ended Dryden’s beloved Ice Dogs who are celebrating the 10th year in the league found themselves sitting in the 3rd spot in the standings, one point behind the rival Fort Frances Lakers. The Lakers themselves took second place and were 25 points behind the Wisconsin Wilderness who took the regular season championship with 95 points.
Dryden pulled the Duluth Clydesdales in the first round of the playoffs and started at home with a sold out Dryden Memorial Arena (aka The Dog Pound), ready to cheer on their home town team, and Dryden gave the fans something to cheer about taking game one and two at home and travelling to Duluth for games 3 and 4, but it’s the playoffs and home ice advantage means everything. The Ice Dogs stood tall to the challenge and took Duluth out of the SIJHL playoffs with a four game sweep of the Clydesdales. The Ice Dogs returned home for a few days of rest before round two would start.
Dryden found out shortly after that they would draw the Fort Frances Lakers in the second round of the playoffs, the two teams had met 12 times in the regular season with the Dogs taking 8 of those meetings. Dogs’ goalie Ian Perrier had stood tall in net during the first round of the playoffs just like he did during the regular season posting a .913% save percentage.
Perrier and the Dogs rolled into the Fort to play the Lakers and the game was a fast paced hard fought game that ended after sixty minutes of play with Perrier claiming the win and the shut out in a 4-0 win over the hometown Lakers thus stealing home ice advantage from the Lakers.
Game two of the Lakers – Ice Dogs series went down on Sunday night in the Fort and the Lakers were looking to take back home ice advantage and looking to even up the series before it moved to Dryden to take on the Dog Pound.
Again the game was fast paced and Perrier was tested early on in the game, with the very loud Lakers fan in the stands the Lakers and the Dogs played to a 3-2 game with the Ice Dogs coming out on top.
The series will now move to Dryden and the Dryden Ice Dogs fans are looking for the Dogs to make quick work of the Lakers in game 4 Tuesday and Thursday night.
There will certainly be die-hard Lakers fans in the crowd looking to spoil the party with the Dogs sitting 6-0 in this year’s SIJHL playoffs and would enjoy the opportunity to see the club steal game three at home and put the Lakers in a win or die situation.
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Publisher’s Note: Scott’s story was held up due to scheduling conflicts within the editorial offices at PHN. We regret this and offer the story here.
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