Mitch Calvert
You cannot win them all, but the Fort Frances Jr. Sabres might have to do just that during the rest of their four-game homestand if they hope to rebound from back-to-back losses at the paws of the Thunder Bay Bearcats over the weekend.
The Sabres may have been feeling opening-night jitters Friday, suffering a one-sided 6-3 loss, but then rebounded with a solid effort in a 3-2 defeat Saturday.
“Friday, I was very disappointed in our effort,” Sabres’ head coach Wayne Strachan stressed. “We had no emotion and no work ethic except for Zach McCool. We made a lot of turnovers that cost us in the end and took way too many bad penalties.
“I am not sure if we were nervous, but we disappointed a big crowd that night,” he added.
The Sabres looked to turn that around Saturday—and certainly got off to a good start when Brendan Baumgartner netted a power-play goal just over two minutes into the game.
But despite a number of chances to extend their lead, the Sabres failed to do so and the Bearcats clawed back, tying the score later in the first and then adding the lone goal of the second to take a 2-1 lead into the final 20 minutes.
Mitch Cain made it 2-2 for the Sabres with a power-play marker less than a minute into the third to get the crowd—and the momentum—back in their favour.
But the Bearcats made it 3-2 midway through the period and then held on for their second-straight win.
“It was a total team effort and, for the most part, I felt we carried the play five-on-five [on Saturday],” Strachan noted. “Yes, there were a lot of penalties on both sides and our special teams did a good job all game.”
The Sabres converted on two of eight power-play chances Saturday, and were firing at just over 20 percent for the weekend, while their penalty kill was up near 90 percent for the two-game series.
“That is pretty good stats, and if we can do that and have the same effort every game, we will give ourselves a chance to win,” Strachan remarked.
“When it came down to it, we did out-work them for the most part, but had a hard time getting one past their goaltender, Drew Stranberg,” he added. “I think he was the difference in the game.
[Goalie David] Novak played well, making key saves when he had to,” Strachan continued. “He kept us in the game and gave us a shot to win, [but] we were just snake-bitten around their net.”
Strachan stressed patience with his new, young team that’s still coming together as a group.
“We have a fast, young team and we have to build on our systems and come together in our camaraderie, and I think this team will be good when it is all said and done,” he enthused.
“We have to improve as a five-man unit in our own end. We get too focused on the puck and forget about the men behind us,” Strachan noted. “Our forwards have to start getting back quicker and supporting our defence for our transition game, which could ultimately be our success this season with all the speed and skill we have up front.”
Emotions boiled over at the end of Saturday night’s game as a flurry of scuffles broke out after the final buzzer. The Sabres’ Rod Bouchard dropped the gloves with the Bearcats’ Graeme McCormack while Baumgartner looked to get at Bearcats’ defenceman Brad Pawlowski, but was held back by the linesman.
McCormack simply taunted the Sabres’ bench—and the crowd—by pointing to the scoreboard after the fight while Pawlowski refused to engage Baumgartner.
“Their antics at the end are very much like their team a year ago, especially from Brad Pawlowski,” Strachan charged. “[It] seems he is always willing to fight our smaller, more skilled players.
“Chad Richards played the role all game with our team and again had to jump two of our smaller players at the end,” he added. “Very typical of this team, and reflects their character and leadership.”
The Sabres hosted the Dryden Ice Dogs last night (the outcome was not available prior to press time), then they wrap up their four-game homestand to open their second SIJHL season Friday night when the Fort William North Stars come to town.
“We got a taste of what the Stars can bring to the table in exhibition,” Strachan noted. “They are a fast, aggressive team. They have a lot of talent up front. We have to slow them down and finish our checks.
“If there was a team you have to remain disciplined against, it is these guys as they usually have a potent power-play,” he warned.
The Sabres will play their first road game of the season next Wednesday (Oct. 1) against the expansion Sioux Lookout Flyers.
