DRYDEN, Ont. – Dryden GM Ice Dogs forward Justin Pitari scored a pair of breakaway tallies and dished out an assist to help propel the Dryden GM Ice Dogs to a 5-3 triumph over the Thunder Bay North Stars in a Superior International Junior Hockey League encounter Saturday at Memorial Arena.
The home side gained control of the contest between the two long-time rivals with a pair of markers in the back half of the period.
Evan Pakkala put Dryden on the board at 13:44 as he banged in his seventh of the season, from close range, during a man advantage opportunity.
The GM Ice Dogs then added another late in the frame when Nolan Marshall whipped in his seventh to put the hosts up by a pair.
Thunder Bay got on the board 12 and a minutes into the middle stanza off a faceoff deep in Dryden territory that resulted in Hunter Foreshew putting in his own rebound past Jacob Anthony in the home side’s net.
Down a man four minutes later, Pitari forced a turnover and darted in alone on North Stars’ netminder Jordan Smith and made no mistake firing a quick shot into the back of the net.
The visitors did get that back while still on the power play as a falling Enrico Bozac knocked in his third of the campaign at 17:11.
However, it was more from Pitari in the final minute of the frame as he once again got himself free and darted down the ice and snapped a quick attempt that flew past Smith.
Up a skater in the third, Dylan DiTomaso blasted one from the left point to make it 5-2 Dryden with 8:25 to play.
Then coming off a five-goal night Friday vs. the GM Ice Dogs in Thunder Bay, Cody Bruchkowski rounded out the scoring in the final seconds as he came down the right wing an wired a shorthanded effort upstairs on Anthony for his SIJHL-leading 23rd marker of the campaign to wrap thing up.
Xavier Halterman chipped in with two assists to aid the winners cause.
Dryden held a big edge in shots in the contest, outshooting their opponents 50-29 with Anthony picking up the victory while Smith suffered the setback.
Photo credit: Kerri-Ann Kanceruk