A Jeremy Johnson unassisted goal 1:43 into the second overtime period lifted the Minnesota Wilderness to a 3-2 victory over the Fort Frances Lakers in game six of the Superior International Junior Hockey League’s Bill Salonen Cup final at ’52 Canadians Arena at the Memorial Sports Centre in Fort Frances.

With the triumph, the Wilderness win the Bill Salonen Cup in six games, 4-2, and capture their third consecutive SIJHL championship.

Each side found the back of the net in the opening period with Minnesota defenseman Nick McCormack scoring at 8:06, while Fort Frances forward Kevin Kurm connected on the power play with 79 seconds to go in the session.

The Lakers took the lead at the 4-minute mark of the second period when Owen Stauber scored during a man-advantage opportunity to put the home side up 2-1 after 40 minutes.

With the two sides playing four skaters each, the Wilderness forced overtime when Joseph Drapluk put in the equalizer with 8:55 to go in regulation past Lakers goalie Talor Joseph.

After a scoreless 10 minutes in the first overtime session, the Wilderness won it early in the second extra period when Johnson stripped the puck off a Fort Frances defender behind the net and quickly deposited the championship-winning tally past Joseph to end the series.

Shots on goal favored Minnesota by a 40-31 margin.

As SIJHL champions, the Wilderness now advance to the Dudley-Hewitt Cup Central Canada Jr. A championship in North Bay being held April 30-May 4.

Lakers 3, Wilderness 1

Joseph stopped 54 of 55 shots he faced Saturday night when Fort Frances won 3-1 over Minnesota in game five at Northwoods Credit Union Arena in Cloquet.

Like they did in game four on Friday, the Lakers were first to score when Cody Wickstrom made a solid rush up the ice beat the Wilderness to the puck and fed Falls High School graduate Jordan Christianson, who fired a backhanded shot past Minnesota goalie Gordy Defiel at 3:46.

The Wilderness came close to tying it a few minutes later, only to see the right pad of Joseph thwart Jordan Shockley on a partial break.

Minnesota netted the equalizer in the second period when Dan Divis intercepted a clearing attempt, skated over the blue line and snapped a shot past Joseph at 2:34.

Fort Frances retook the lead 88 seconds later when Defiel was knocked clear of the net after a collision with one of his defenders and a Lakers forward, which allowed Owen Stauber to put in the eventual game-winner to make it 2-1.

Early in the third period, and seconds after a major penalty call on Ben Michaud of the Wilderness, the Lakers added to their lead when Wickstrom wristed a shot from inside the right point that was redirected in by Kurm past Defiel.

The Wilderness pulled their goaltender with two and half minutes to go in regulation, but could not get any closer. Fort Frances hit the post on an empty net on three occasions, but still pulled out the victory.

In defeat it marked the first time since Oct. 24 that the Wilderness has lost a game in regulation, which also came at the hands of the Lakers in Cloquet.

Defiel faced 27 shots in a losing cause for the home side.

Wilderness 5, Lakers 3

There’s a reason why Minnesota’s Mike Dietrich was named the SIHJL’s Pizza Hut Player of the Year, and he showed it Friday night.

The Wilderness captain scored all five of his team’s goals on the evening to lead them to a 5-3 victory over the Lakers in game four at Ice For Kids Arena in Fort Frances.

Following a scramble in front of the Lakers’ net, the Wilderness opened the scoring late in the first period when Dietrich stuffed in a loose puck Joseph could not stop at the 18-minute mark.

Benefiting from a two-man advantage opportunity early in the second period, Fort Frances tied it when Davis Smith put the puck past Defiel from close range at 2:10.

Still on the power play after their initial tally, the Lakers took the lead 55 seconds later when Kurm scored to make it 2-1 in favor of the home team.

Answering back at 7:05 of the session, the Wilderness tied the game when Dietrich redirected a pass past Joseph for his second goal of the night.

The goals kept coming before the midway mark of the contest when Fort Frances forward Hunter Leishman powered his way down the right side before passing the puck to Smith, who wristed in his second score of the game from the face-off circle.

Dietrich was at it again when he tallied goals three and four of the night in quick order to put the Wilderness up 4-3 after 40 minutes.

It stayed that way until late in the third period. With Joseph on the Lakers’ bench in favor of an extra attacker, Dietrich broke free and found the empty net with 32.6 seconds left for his fifth goal on the evening.