DRYDEN – When the Kam River Fighting Walleye and the Dryden Ice Dogs met on Wednesday night, something had to give.
Both teams entered the Superior International Junior Hockey League contest on six-game winning streaks, both team fighting, along with the upstart Sioux Lookout Bombers, to be the top franchise in the eight-team circuit.
It was the Ice Dogs whose streak continued.
Bryce Benfield scored a hat trick, beating Kam River goaltender Travis VanderZwaag in the first, second and third periods, to lead Dryden to a 5-3 home-ice win, their seventh straight victory.
Max Roby and Carson Devine also scored for the Ice Dogs, who improved to 9-1-0.
Carter Poddubny, Ryan Doucette and Jett Mintenko, with a power-play goal at 17:17 of the third, his eighth of the season, scored for Kam River.
Jeremy Dunmore, who drew an assist on Doucette’s tally, surpassed Ethan Lang as the Fighting Walleye’s all-time leading point-getter, with 109.
Michael O’Sullivan earned the win in goal for Dryden, stopping 42 of 45 shots, while VanderZwaag was tagged with the loss, good on 23 of 27 shots, Devine’s shorthanded goal landing into an empty Ice Dogs net with 3:09 to go in regulation.
Dryden travels to Sioux Lookout on Friday night to open a home-and-home series against the Bombers. The Fighting Walleye will spend the weekend in Kenora, playing the expansion Islanders on Friday and Saturday nights.
The Thunder Bay North Stars host Fort Frances on Friday night and Saturday afternoon at Fort William Gardens.
