Lucas Punkari
It can be described as not only the biggest and most important win of the season, but also the biggest statement the Fort Frances Lakers have made throughout the SIJHL campaign.
With only two weeks left in the regular season, the Lakers finally got the monkey off their backs against the league-leading Wisconsin Wilderness, dominating the defending champs here Saturday night en route to a 5-0 victory.
The triumph was the first over Wisconsin since a 6-3 win here back on Sept. 23, and came after a number of close losses in recent months.
“Our main objective was to get two points under out belt against them, and get that sense of feeling that we can play with them and beat them,” said Lakers’ head coach and general manager Wayne Strachan.
“In our last three games against Wisconsin, we have been very close, but our discipline issues in the last two games leading up to this one was I think the main reason why they beat us,” he noted.
“Tonight [Saturday], while we weren’t totally disciplined, our penalty kill was good and Tyler Ampe was great in net tonight, and this is definitely a huge win for us and is great for us confidence-wise.”
Ampe’s play between the pipes was one of the keys in the Lakers victory as the 20-year-old made 23 saves in earning the game’s first star honours.
It also was his first shutout since a 5-0 whitewash over the Duluth Clydesdales here back on Oct. 14.
“I have to give the credit to my teammates, as they played great defensively and limited the majority of their chances to perimeter shots,” Ampe noted.
“I have to thank my forwards because they kept the puck in their zone for most of the game, along with the defence as they kept their shooters away from the net,” he added.
The most stress Ampe encountered Saturday came during the late stages of the second period, when the Lakers were forced to kill off a two-minute 5-on-3 power play while holding a 3-0 lead.
Thanks to a number of key saves by Ampe and some nice shot-blocking by the Lakers’ skaters, which led to a standing ovation by many on hand at the Ice For Kids Arena, the red-and-white were able to get back to full strength without having surrendered a goal.
“I’m ecstatic about killing off the 5-on-3,” Ampe enthused afterwards.
“There were a couple of times where the puck slid by me and it was close to going in, so I was lucky at some points, but the team also helped me out a lot there, as well,” he reasoned.
With momentum on their side, the Lakers extended their lead to a four-goal cushion with only 25 seconds to go in the second as Henry Gutierrez slid the puck past Wilderness goalie Tanner Milliron.
“That was the key turning point of the game,” Strachan said.
“Anytime you can kill off a 5-on-3 situation is huge, as if they get a goal right there, it’s a 3-1 game at least and they are right back into the game.
“Our penalty-killers did a good job and Ampe made some great saves, and we came right back and scored a typical Lakers’ goal that came through hard work and from cycling the puck,” he added.
SIJHL scoring leader Byron Katapaytuk led the Lakers offensively with three assists to increase his point total to 76.
Jordan Christianson netted a pair of goals, including a power-play marker just 36 seconds into the second period that got his team rolling.
“In the first period, we were just struggling to get things going on the power play as we just needed to settle down and get things moving,” Christianson noted.
“But in the second period, it seemed like we had a little bit more time and space out there to set things up thanks to our hard work.
“And on the goal that I scored, Byron quarterbacked the play very well and I was lucky to get a fortunate bounce,” he added.
Adam Wensley and Jon Carlson also scored for the Lakers.
Opening romp
The Lakers opened their weekend homestand Friday night with a convincing 13-4 romp over the expansion Iron Range Ironheads, snapping the team’s two-game losing skid.
“At first we played a little big sluggish and it seemed like we played down to their level,” Strachan noted.
“But once we got the first goal, it seemed that our team just got that momentum going and we were able to put the pressure on them.
“After a couple of tough losses, it was nice to see some goals go into the net,” he added.
Colton Spicer and Jordan Larson both netted hat tricks against the Ironheads.
“It was a good night, and the puck just kept coming to me,” said Spicer, who scored all three of his goals in the first period before adding an assist later in the game.
“I had some help from my teammates on those goals, as well, as I got a nice pass from Brett [McMahon] in the corner to set up my third goal.
“And earlier, Christianson passed one over that ended up right on my stick,” he added.
Having help from his teammates also was a key contributor to Larson’s hat trick, with his first goal coming in the opening period and his other two late in the game.
“With Davis [Smith] and Adam [Wensley] clicking out there with me once again, that always helps,” Larson remarked.
“The goals were all tap-ins, and a lot of that comes down to having good linemates that help to set things up.”
Merritt Rysavy was the top point-getter for the Lakers (a pair of goals and three assists) while blueliner Dalen Porter had his best game since joining the squad last month by assisting on four goals.
McMahon, Christianson, Blake Boaz, and Bryan Broders also scored.
Prior to their successful weekend on home ice, the Lakers suffered a road setback Wednesday in Dryden when they dropped a 2-1 decision to the Ice Dogs.
“In the second period and during the third, we had momentum on our side and we peppered their goal with shots,” Strachan recalled.
“But [Ice Dogs’ goalie Dean] Shepherdson stymied us all night long. And when we did get a goal late in the third period [from Boaz], it was too late as they had got an empty-netter just before that.
“We just didn’t have the bounces go our away and we were a little snake-bitten in front of goal,” he said.
The Lakers now are preparing for their final road trip of the regular season, which will begin tomorrow night in Chisholm, Mn. against the Ironheads.
That will be followed by a date with the Wilderness in Spooner, Wis. on Friday and a visit to Dryden on Monday.
“All three games will say a lot for where we are as a team going into the playoffs,” Strachan stressed.
“We can’t go into Iron Range and go into a lull after our win over Wisconsin as they play very well at home [seven of their eight wins have come in their arena],” he warned.
“And we found out first-hand earlier this year what can happen when you sit back against them.
“[Then] on Friday, we need to have the same performance that we did here against the Wilderness, and I think it will say a lot if we go into their rink and become the first team to steal a win from them at home this season.
“Monday is a key game for us against Dryden,” added Strachan.
“If we can go in there and play to our potential, we would gain a lot of confidence by beating the Ice Dogs in their own rink.”
In related news, six members of the Lakers are finalists for the SIJHL’s year-end awards, which will be handed out over the coming weeks.
Earning nods were Katapaytuk (MVP), Larson (rookie of the year) Ampe (top goalie), Gutierrez (best defensive forward), Boaz (most sportsmanlike player), and Ryan Wildman (most improved player).
“Having several guys be nominated as finalists is a real tribute to the team and what we have been able to accomplish during the season,” said Strachan, who was nominated for the league’s coach-of-the-year award.
“The players who were nominated are very deserving of those honours, and there are many other guys on our team who could have been given those same accolades, as well,” he added.
