Taking on the Wisconsin Wilderness in the Bill Salonen Cup opener, the Dryden Ice Dogs are having a rough start to the final round.Playing the first playoff game in Spooner, Wisconsin, the Ice Dogs fell to the Wilderness 6-0.The hometown team would take a two-goal lead in the first five minutes of the game, both goals went five-hole on Ice Dogs goalie, Ian Perrier.Wisconsin would cushion their lead by 15:18 in the first, ending the period with a 3-0 score.The second period didn’t bring any more success to the Ice Dogs, with Wisconsin taking two more goals, the second being only five seconds before the end of the period.In the third, Wisconsin would put it away, with one more goal on Perrier, forcing a 6-0 lead, and Perrier giving way to back-up Brett Timmerman in his first action in the postseason.Although the game stayed at 6-0 for the balance of the third, 41 shots were fired on Perrier and Timmerman, with only 27 saves from Wilderness goaltender John McLean.Game two saw a much closer score, but still not the result the Ice Dogs were hoping for.  With a second loss to Wisconsin, the Ice Dogs lost in overtime.The April 4 game saw Perrier back in net, with Wisconsin seeing the first marker in the latter stage of the opening period.The Ice Dogs would find the back of the net for the first time in two games, as Ian Schachte tied up the score in the final six minutes of the second period.Wisconsin would take the lead with a 2-1 score at 13:45 of the second, with Perrier keeping it a 2-1 contest as he blocked the Wisconsin penalty shot with 14 minutes remaining in regulation play.The Ice Dogs would tie it up at 10:20, as Thomas Greene converted on the power play, which resulted in his league-leading 10th goal of the postseason, forcing overtime.First period of overtime, saw the captain for Wisconsin fire one past Perrier, ending the game, with a final score of 3-2 for Wisconsin.The Wilderness now lead the best-of-seven series 2-0, which now shifts to Dryden for games three and four at the Memorial Arena.Game three will be held on April 7 and game four will be held April 8, both puck drop at 7:30 p.m.

By Ally Dunham