Staff
The Fort Frances Lakers again trail the Minnesota Wilderness in their best-of-seven SIJHL final after falling 4-1 in Game 3 last night in Cloquet.
Having tied the series with a dramatic 2-1 overtime win at the Ice For Kids Arena here Sunday night, the Lakers continued their strong play in the first period last night as Tyler Brodersen scored to give his team the early lead.
But the Wilderness roared to life in the second period, when Conrad Sampair and Dan Divis both beat Lakers’ goalie Talor Joseph to give the hosts the lead.
Jake Larson and Jordan Shockley then scored in final two minutes of the third to secure the victory and a 2-1 series lead.
Gordy Defiel made 24 saves to earn the win while Joseph turned aside 49 shots.
The Lakers will look to even the series again Friday night when they host Game 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the Ice For Kids Arena.
The two teams then will head back to Cloquet for Game 5 on Saturday evening.
Game 6, if necessary, will take place here Monday, with a seventh-and-deciding game slated for Cloquet next Wednesday should the series go the distance.
The winner will represent the SIJHL at the Dudley Hewitt Cup on April 30-May 4 in North Bay.
In other news, Lakers’
defenceman Joel Bogacki received this year’s RBC scholastic award Tuesday.
Bogacki, an 18-year-old from Thunder Bay who had four points in 36 regular-season games, received $1,000 to help defer the cost of a post-secondary education.
As the SIJHL rep, he now is eligible to win a $5,000 scholarship that will be announced during the Royal Bank Cup national championship, with the nominees coming from all of the Junior ‘A’ leagues in Canada.
Bogacki is the second Laker to win the award in the last three years, with former defenceman Morgan McNeill doing so in 2011.
