Mitch Calvert
Considering the Fort Frances Jr. Sabres’ early dominance of the Schreiber Diesels, winning back-to-back games there earlier in the season, it shouldn’t be too difficult to start a three-game homestand on the right foot tomorrow night.
The Sabres (7-6-1) opened the season at 0-4, then rattled off six-straight wins, but fell back down to Earth by losing three on a recent road swing.
They bounced back with a 6-5 win last Wednesday in Dryden over the Ice Dogs, but to say their season has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride so far is an understatement.
“We had a couple days off there and had a little fun on the weekend, that’s for sure,” Sabres’ captain Chris Sinclair said of the four days off they were rewarded with after last Wednesday’s game.
“Now we just gotta get back into practice mode and start working hard because we’ve got three big games coming up,” he stressed.
A win in Dryden made the eight-day layoff between games much easier than a fourth-straight loss would have.
As well, exploding for six goals was a promising statistic considering the Sabres only managed six altogether in three-consecutive road losses to the Fort William North Stars, Thunder Bay Bearcats, and Ice Dogs on Oct. 22-24.
“We controlled the play most of the game [against Dryden in the 6-5 win], but a few letdowns happened and we’ve got to work on [playing] a full 60 minutes,” Sinclair stressed.
“The Bearcats are at the top of the league and Schreiber is right with us, so it’s not going to be no walk in the park, but I believe we can win them all.”
A match-up with the Diesels (8-6) may be just what the doctor ordered.
The Sabres beat Schreiber 8-3 back on Oct. 10, with Sinclair and linemate Brendan Baumgartner each getting a goal and three assists.
Carson Dubchak also added two goals and an assist in that lopsided win, but he’s since signed with the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL and has been replaced by Gabe Capozzi on the top line.
“The one game that we’ve played, he seemed to be a really good fit,” Sinclair said of Capozzi, who chipped in with two assists in last week’s win over Dryden. “He’s got speed, knows how to play the game, and he’s 20 years old so he has lots of experience and should be a good help.”
The Sabres then won 4-2 over the Diesels on Oct. 11, with two goals from Mitch Cain being the difference in the penalty-filled affair.
“We’re both hard-working teams, neither of us are that big, but we have lots of speed and play a hard-working game,” Sinclair said of tomorrow night’s showdown with Schreiber.
The Sabres then will turn around and host the Bearcats in back-to-back games Friday and Saturday night at the Ice for Kids Arena.
The Bearcats (11-1-2) have owned the Sabres to date, winning all three match-ups with a combined goal differential of 15-6.
They last faced the Sabres on Oct. 23, mauling them 6-1 backed by four goals from league-leading scorer Chris Kitt.
“The Bearcats we’ve had a tough time with,” Sinclair admitted. “Maybe it’s an intimidation factor, they got with big [Brad] Pawlowski, but I mean it’s just something we’ve got to work on.
“We have to use our speed against their bigger, slower defenceman, and just have to work as a team for a full 60 minutes,” he remarked.
All three games begin at 7:30 p.m., and fans also are encouraged to bring along non-perishable food items to be donated to local food banks in exchange for the chance to win prizes.
