Joey Payeur
Take out the second period and it was a pretty good outing for the Fort Frances Lakers last night in Hoyt Lakes.
Unfortunately, until further notice, all three periods count.
The host Minnesota Iron Rangers scored the only three goals of the second, then held on for a 4-3 victory in the back half of the pre-season home-and-home series between the two squads.
“Not sure I would call it domination,” Lakers’ general manager and head coach Wayne Strachan said about the decisive middle stanza.
“[Minnesota] worked hard and capitalized on our breakdowns.
“We had our chances on the power-play and outshot them [32-23],” added Strachan. “[But] we couldn’t solve their goalie [Alex Reichle]. . . .
“I would say he was the difference in the game for them tonight. He is a big goalie who covers the net.”
Reichle, who did not play in last Friday’s 5-4 overtime win by the Lakers here, made 29 saves.
The home team broke open the game in the second after Tyler Tuneberg and Lyndon Lipinski had traded goals in the first period.
Tyler Broderson, who the Lakers traded a week ago to Minnesota for defenceman
Riley Daly, burned his old team with the go-ahead goal in the second.
That was followed by markers from Trevor Hoth and Jonathon Losurdo, whose goal at 14:25 of the period against Lakers’ goalie Ryan Ferguson made it 4-1.
“I think we should have won the game 3-2,” lamented Strachan. “I think Ryan would admit he wasn’t his sharpest at times and would like a few of the goals back.
“[But] one was a deflection and the other we left a guy wide open in front,” he added.
“You cannot fault him [Ferguson] for that.”
The Lakers tried to repeat their three-goal comeback from the opener, with Lucas DeBenedet and Billy Grillo connecting for goals in the third to pull Fort Frances within one.
But the rally fell short on a night where Strachan felt his team’s physical play still was lacking.
“We have some players that need to learn how to compete at this level and consistently at this level,” he stressed.
“We need some guys to elevate their game.”
Strachan singled out Grillo and Lipinski (both with two goals in two games), as well as Bryce Lipinski and DeBenedet, for special recognition for their efforts while adding others also worked hard in the game.
Despite tonight’s match-up against the Thunder Bay North Stars in Marathon looming, with the game doubling as a tribute to former Laker Jaret LeClair and three other residents of Ojibways of the Pic River First Nation, Strachan didn’t think his team’s focus was elsewhere last night.
“For the most part, we played a decent game,” he remarked.
“We just have to capitalize on our opponents’ mistakes and limit their opportunities on ours.”
The North Stars, ranked 13th in the CJHL pre-season rankings, will be playing their first game of the pre-season tonight—and will be the fresher team.
“That could go two ways,” Strachan said.
“We have played a few and been together on the ice longer, I believe, while they haven’t played a game and [don’t] have that game shape, so to speak,” he reasoned.
“Or we will feel the fatigue set in later in the game if we don’t get the proper rest.
“We got into the hotel at a decent hour, and we’ll leave early and get to Marathon for the boys to stretch their legs and get some rest before game time,” Strachan added.
The Lakers will wrap up their pre-season schedule Saturday when the Wisconsin Wilderness visit for a 7:30 p.m. showdown.
