Mitch Calvert
Forgive the Fort Frances Jr. Sabres if Willie Nelson’s “On The Road Again” is banned from their pre-game music list.
After a tough three-games-in-three-nights road trip last week resulted in three losses, derailing what had been a six-game winning streak, the Sabres head right back up Highway 502 for a rematch with the Dryden Ice Dogs tonight.
The Sabres suffered back-to-back losses to the Fort William North Stars and Thunder Bay Bearcats last Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, before ending the stretch with a 4-3 overtime loss to the Ice Dogs on Friday night.
The lack of results were especially disheartening considering the Sabres had fought their way back into the thick of things after starting the season 0-4—and probably deserved a better fate on the road trip.
“We should have won two out of the three games we played this past week,” Sabres’ head coach Wayne Strachan noted. “For the most part, against Dryden and the North Stars, we out-played both of them.
“We are stuck in a little rut with scoring,” he added. “Not blaming our goaltending, but we need to get some big saves in some games to help us get some wins.”
The Sabres currently sit in fourth place in the SIJHL standings with a 6-6-1 record, and Strachan said they need to regroup and get back to the things that made them successful during their six-game streak.
“First and foremost, bearing down and shooting around the net,” Strachan remarked. “Shooting to score and getting shots to the net.
“I don’t really think we are playing that bad as far as our systems go,” he insisted. “Our defensive zone needs shoring up as far as not being puck-focused, and knowing where our men are.
“We need to have heads on a swivel and not be watching the puck all the time.”
Strachan also said the power play has dried up a bit, which must turn around if they hope to win the tight games.
“Our ‘PP’ needs to be better. We are now down to 15 percent, and this is not helping in the games as far as scoring and winning,” Strachan noted.
“[It] seems as if one game is good, then we go in a three-game lull in not generating anything on our ‘PP,’” he added.
The Sabres will have to improve in that area without one of their more gifted offensive players after Carson Dubchak signed with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League.
“This is a great opportunity for ‘Dubber’ to further his career . . . and I wish him the best of luck,” Strachan said of the SIJHL rookie who had 18 points in just 12 games with the Sabres.
“He has a great future in hockey ahead of him,” Strachan added. “It’s a huge loss for us, but we will look for help and hopefully fill his void from within.”
The loss of Dubchak especially hurts because the status of Dan Smith’s shoulder remains unknown. The team is awaiting the results of an MRI, and should know later this week, but Strachan hopes the injury only will hold him out for another week or two.
On the bright side, Strachan said Graham Dyck really has stepped up his game since returning from a minor injury, providing a physical, two-way game for the Sabres.
