The Fort Frances Lakers improved their record to 4-0 over the course of the weekend, leading to an announcement on Monday that they’d cracked the Canadian Junior Hockey League ranking’s Top 20 for the first time since 2016.
Friday night saw the Lakers once again matched up against the league-worst Red Lake Miners, who have yet to win a game this year.
Zak Green opened the scoring for the Lakers before the one minute mark of the first period putting one past Zach Johnson of the Miners at the 42 second mark. While the Lakers had lots of chances as the period went on and they outshot the Miners 20-2 in the period, they didn’t beat Johnson again until the end of the period when Teagan Wrolstad scored his second of the year on a play by linemates Carter Deschamps and Ronny Bender.
The second period was a bit more even in shots, 16-12 in the Lakers favour, but the lone goal scorer was newly-minted Lakers Captain Pierce Gouin who beat Johnson after powering through the Miners zone for his second goal of the season on a pass from Wyatt Greer.
The Miners would go on to score their loan goal just past the two minute mark of the third but that was all their offense could muster.
Lakers Defenseman Nolan Barker scored his first of the year off a feed from Tie Schumacher.
Down three goals the Miners pulled their goalie with almost three minutes to go but it was to no avail as the Lakers stymied the offense and Nick Fagnilli scored into the empty net.
Lakers goalie Brady Cates stopped 19 of 20 shots for the win, staying tuned into the game even as the Miners got few shots to the net in the first.
Saturday night the Lakers were up against stiffer opposition in the reigning SIJHL champion Kam River Walleye away at Norwest Arena in Oliver Paipoonge.
The Lakers fended off the Walleye attack for most of the first only to give up a goal in the last two minutes of the frame, heading to the dressing room down 1-0 and 14-7 in shots.
Kam River scored again just over a minute into the middle period but the Lakers responded shortly after with Carter Peters second goal of the campaign thanks to assists from Gregory Wiseman and Judd Pesch. The Lakers tied the game on a shorthanded goal from Carter Thiessen assisted by Carter Peters. The Lakers won the shots battle in the second 11-10.
The Lakers took the lead in the third on Ronny Bender’s second goal of the season and then had to weather a six on five battle as Kam River pulled their goalie in an effort to even the score. The Lakers emerged victorious 3-2.
Head Coach Luke Judson says he likes what he’s seen but knows the team can do better.
“Obviously we’re off to the start we wanted,” he said.
“It’s good at the start of the year for a number of reasons. Team camaraderie and the boys gelling together and building chemistry. But also for recruiting, players want to see what teams are going to be contending and we feel like we’ve established ourselves that way too. So happy with it, but lots of work to do.”
After a 7-1 win over the Miners the week before, Judson says he felt they could have done better in the second matchup, and again felt they could have played better against the Walleye the next night as well.
“I think similar sentiments as the night before,” Judson said of Saturday’s performance.
“I mean there’s positives in that as well, we’re winning games and we think we still have more to give and that’s a good problem to have. So as much as it’s exciting to find ways to win a close game and another game where we were trailing, I think we’ve got more to give and we’ll keep that pedal down the best we can.”
On the end of Saturday’s game, Judson said he liked how they closed it down during the six on five.
“Ronny Bender scored a late goal with about four minutes left to put us up and we had a good six on five to end it,” he said.
“The boys came up big, played with poise, played with confidence and sealed the deal for us.”
Nolan Koethler stopped 33 of 35 shots for the win in Kam River, while Walleye goalie Sam Keene stopped 25 of 28 in the loss.
On Monday the Canadian Junior Hockey League announced its first top 20 rankings of the season and the Lakers were ranked 10th, the only team in the SIJHL to be ranked, the Sioux Lookout Bombers received an honourable mention inclusion. The list is comprised of the top Junior A teams from leagues across the country, including Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Maritimes and elsewhere in Ontario.
Judson says making the list is an indicator of how the team has changed over the last several years.
“I mean, looking back three years at where we were positioned. We weren’t ever in a position to even think that we might get considered for that,” he said.
“It’s obviously very early. But I mean recognition like that, obviously, we were pretty proud of our group so far, but like I said before, we’ve got lots of work to do to stay there and hopefully move
up.”
The Lakers play just one game this weekend, a home contest against the Thunder Bay North Stars on Friday Oct. 3 at 7:15 p.m. The North Stars are third in the league behind the Lakers with a 2-1-1-0 record.
