Staff
The Fort Frances Lakers started their final road trip of the regular season on a winning note last night in Chisholm, Mn., where they throttled the host Iron Range Ironheads 10-3.
Jaret Leclair, Henry Gutierrez, and Davis Smith combined for 16 points in the game.
Gutierrez led the way with four goals and two assists while Leclair collected a hat trick and two helpers.
Smith, meanwhile, was lending a helping hand all night, assisting on all four of Gutierrez’s goals and on the first one by Leclair.
Merritt Rysavy opened the scoring for the Lakers with a pair of first-period goals, with Byron Katapaytuk competing the team’s offensive explosion with a goal and an assist.
Katapaytuk’s two-point night now gives the 20-year-old forward 78 points on the season—putting him one off of the SIJHL scoring lead, which is now held by Anthony Wolfe of the Sioux Lookout Flyers.
The red-and-white continue their three-game road trip tonight in Spooner, where the regular-season champion Wisconsin Wilderness will be seeking to avenge a 5-0 loss to the Lakers here last Saturday night.
Tonight’s match-up also will be a preview for the first-round playoff series between the two squads that will determine home-ice advantage for the rest of the post-season.
The first two-game, total-goal showdown will be held March 2-3 in Spooner, with Fort Frances hosting the second two-game, total-goal series March 9-10.
If the two teams finish tied, a shootout will be used to crown the victor.
The Lakers will wrap up their final road game of the regular season Monday night in Dryden.
Then the squad will host Sioux Lookout next Thursday (Feb. 23) before closing the regular season here Feb. 25 against the Thunder Bay North Stars.
