Sabres have backs to wall

The Fort Frances Jr. Sabres find themselves on the brink of elimination after suffering a 4-3 loss in double overtime to the host Schreiber Diesels last night to go down 0-2 in their best-of-five quarter-final series.
Schreiber’s Ryan Pearson finally broke the deadlock in the second overtime session.
Sabres’ head coach Wayne Strachan headed into last night’s game disappointed over his players’ lack of focus in the series-opener Wednesday night.
“A few of our guys just didn’t show up,” Strachan said yesterday morning. “Our leaders aren’t getting things done.”
But he did have high praise for the youngsters on the team.
“Our three best players [Wednesday night] were three of our youngest guys: Mitch Cain, Kyle Turgeon, and Ryan Faragher,” Strachan remarked.
“It’s a great feat for them.”
Strachan had hoped for more from his players throughout the rest of the series. “These guys need to come focused and realized that we’re in the playoffs,” he stressed.
The series now shifts to Fort Frances, with Game 3 slated for Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Ice for Kids Arena.
With their season on the line, Strachan is hoping for a good turnout from Sabres’ supporters.
“It’s great to play in front of those fans,” he enthused.
Should the Sabres avoid the series sweep, Game 4 is scheduled for Monday, March 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Game 5, if necessary, would be played next Wednesday (March 19) back in Schreiber.
The third-place Thunder Bay Bearcats are battling the sixth-place Thunder Bay Bulldogs in the other quarter-final series.
The first-place Dryden Ice Dogs and second-place Fort William North Stars earned first-round byes.
While their play over the past two games may be a disappointment to the team, Strachan and the Sabres did receive some good news last night as the SIJHL announced its annual award winners.
The Sabres’ Quinn Amiel was named league MVP following a regular season in which he posted a team-high 72 points on 37 goals and 35 assists.
He also was the top power-play specialist in the SIJHL and ranked third in short-handed points.
Mitch Cain, the 16-year-old Fort Frances native, was named Rookie of the Year after scoring 14 goals and adding 27 helpers for 41 points over 45 games.
Sabres’ management also was recognized. Strachan was honoured as Coach of the Year after leading the Sabres to the playoffs in their inaugural season in the SIJHL.
Meanwhile, Scott and Carolyn Kellaway were named Executive of the Year for their work with the squad.
Other award winners were Jared Saunders of the Diesels (most improved), Graeme Harrington of the Ice Dogs (scholar/talent), Brad Pawlowski of the Bearcats (best defenceman), Travis Jaspers of the North Stars (best defensive forward), and Drew Strandberg of the Bulldogs (best goalie).
Rounding out the recipients were Mike Thibert of the Bulldogs (most gentlemanly) and Nicolas Doiron of the Ice Dogs (top scorer).