Lucas Punkari
Since finishing second at their home tournament back in December, the Fort Frances Canadians Midget ‘AA’ hockey team has continued to progress, which is something head coach Dave Egan is very happy about.
“This is a team that works very hard in practice as they don’t hesitate or pause during the drills, they just keep on going,” Egan noted.
“They have been rewarded for that in the games against their tough competition lately, as in our last tournament [two weekends ago in Wayzata], they went up against two of the top-ranked teams in Minnesota Jr. Gold from Edina and Minnetonka and stayed right with them,” he added.
The Canadians continued their strong play in an exhibition affair at the ’52 Canadians Arena here last Tuesday afternoon, throttling the Baudette Bears 12-0.
“We expected it might not be a close game as they have a younger team there,” Egan said.
“We just tried some different things out there and we tried to make it a game, but obviously the score doesn’t reflect that.”
One of those things that Egan did during the game was give some of his younger players a chance to get more ice time and gain experience.
“For those players who really don’t get on the penalty kill or the power play, or those who are not on the ice a lot when we are in a tough game, such as Robbie Payne, Wade Johnson, and Gabe Handorgan, this was a great game for them to gain experience in,” Egan reasoned.
Leading the Canadians on offence last Tuesday were Brody McPherson and Nolan Ross, who each had two goals and two assists, while Dylan Curtis added a goal and two assists.
Tyler Fontana, who is on a line with Curtis and Dylan Grinsell, also netted a pair of goals in the win, which is something the three forwards have been doing a lot of lately.
“We count on those guys to provide some offence, and to also provide some solid defensive play, as well,” Egan said.
“They started slow out of the gate, but as of late they have been coming out and playing very strong,” he added.
“Since our tournament here, our puck movement has become a lot better and I think you saw that here today [Jan. 17] against the Bears,” Grinsell remarked.
“As a team, we are really starting to show what we can do, and I think that is because of the improvements that we have made lately,” he stressed.
Johnson, Payne, Handorgan, Abraham Germain, and Sam Berube also scored for the Canadians in their win over the Bears.
Despite their solid play of late, the Canadians are without three faces in their lineup due to injuries.
Jacob Hawley and Josh Cousineau both are out due to concussions while goalie Brennan Carroll currently is sidelined with a hairline fracture in his foot.
As a result, the Canadians have brought in goalie Ryan Ferguson, who was set to play for the Muskies this season but was forced to sit out a year due to the transfer rules in NorWOSSA, to split time with Avery Adrian while Carroll heals.
“We were able to bring Ryan in here and he did extremely well for us in the Wayzata tournament,” Egan recalled.
“I’m not sure yet if he will be for the rest of the year, though, as it’ll all depend on how Brennan heals,” he added.
Looking ahead, the Canadians will be travelling to Grand Forks, N.D. for a tournament this weekend, with their opening game set for Friday night against a team from Huron, S.D.
The Canadians then will be in tournament play for the next three weekends, competing at events in Duluth and Grand Rapids, Mn., as well as Superior, Wis.
