Lucas Punkari
After a slow start to the 2012/13 SIJHL season, the Fort Frances Lakers have become one of the hottest teams in the league of late.
Having lost their first four games, the Lakers have compiled a 6-1 record since Oct. 6 and now sit in third place in the standings after a 6-3 triumph over the Dryden Ice Dogs at the Ice For Kids Arena last night.
“It’s a good feeling right now,” forward Jacob Nolan said after his team’s fourth-straight home win.
“We have won our last two games after we lost to Dryden on the road last week, and right now everyone is putting their part in,” he added.
“And it’s turning out great.”
Nolan and his linemates, Kevin Kurm and Mason Meyer, caused havoc on the Ice Dogs all game, hooking up on four of the six goals.
Kurm led the attack with two goals and two assists, with Meyer scoring once and assisting on two others.
Nolan chipped in with a pair of helpers.
“I think as a line, we are building a great chemistry between the three of us,” Kurm noted.
“We have a little bit of a bigger rink here at home, so we can use our speed to create some good line rushes, and that allows us to put the puck into the back of the net,” Meyer added.
Owen Stauber, Jon Carlson, and Davis Smith added singles.
Chris Belhumer had a pair of power-play markers for the Ice Dogs, with Tyler Newsome netting the other goal.
The Lakers now will head on the road tomorrow for a 7 p.m. clash against the Minnesota Wilderness at the Northwoods Credit Union Arena in Cloquet.
“It’s a tough rink to play in, so we just need to go in there and keep things simple,” stressed Lakers’ head coach and general manager Wayne Strachan.
“If we can match their intensity and limit our mistakes so that we don’t get give them a lot of chances to score, I think we should put ourselves in a good situation.
“We did a good job of that the last time we played them here [a 6-2 win here on Oct. 12],” noted Strachan.
“And if we can do that again, we should be fine.”
The Lakers’ next home game is slated for this Saturday at 7:30 p.m., when the Minnesota Iron Rangers come to town.
