FORT FRANCES, Ont. – A Justin Pitari marker five minutes into the third period held up as the game-winner as the Dryden GM Ice Dogs came back to earn a narrow 2-1 triumph over the Fort Frances Lakers in a Superior International Junior Hockey League match-up Friday at Ice for Kids Arena.
Fort Frances did open the scoring 13:10 into the first frame when Kaleb Bruyere finished off a nice cross-ice feed from Ben Hoefler.
Moving on to the middle stanza, the GM Ice Dogs drew level as Nolan Marshall drove through the circle off a Josh Weber faceoff win and then buried his own rebound putting it past Lakers netminder Alex Bugeja.
Into the third tied at 1-1, Pitari buried the difference maker as he finished off a nice rush up the ice by Dryden defenceman Ben Forbes as he collected his team-best ninth tally and club-leading third game-winner.
Jacob Anthony made 32 saves to record the win for Dryden while Bugeja suffered the narrow defeat for Fort Frances while facing 37 shots against.
Photo credit: Clint Bruyere