Joey Payeur
The Fort Frances Lakers keep winning—and the people who compile the Canadian Junior ‘A’ Hockey League top 20 rankings are noticing.
The Lakers’ rise to No. 6 in the current rankings is the best in team history, thanks to its current eight-game winning streak that included a pair of convincing road wins over the weekend.
Fort Frances (9-1-0-1) slammed the Wisconsin Wilderness (1-7) by a 6-1 count Friday night in Spooner before doubling the Thunder Bay North Stars (7-1-0-1) by an 8-4 margin there Saturday.
Heading into the weekend, the Stars were ranked No. 3 in the country while the Lakers garnered only an honourable mention in last week’s top 20.
But it was the Fort who dominated Thunder Bay on Saturday—handing the Stars their first loss in regulation time and dropping Thunder Bay to No. 15 in this week’s rankings.
“I think it says a lot that we can go in and play them tough in their own rink,” said Lakers’ head coach and general manager Wayne Strachan.
“They are a good hockey team and were missing some good players, but we rose to the occasion and I am proud of how we played throughout the game,” he added.
“It’s a huge road win for our confidence against a team we have had two good previous games against.”
The Lakers have won two of three so far this season against the Stars and stretched their lead over Thunder Bay for top spot in the SIJHL to four points (although the Stars do hold two games in hand).
Lucas DeBenedet was a big part of the Lakers’ victory, notching a hat trick Saturday night to make him the league leader in goals (10), assists (12), and points (22).
“Lucas played well and was one of our most consistent players throughout the game,” noted Strachan.
“Good players rise up to challenges, and he definitely did his part to help the team this night and scored some nice goals.”
The Stars scored first on Zach Grzelewski’s goal at 2:26 of the first before the Lakers ripped home five consecutive markers.
Donovan Cousineau, who has eight points in his first six games since being acquired by the Lakers on Oct. 3, netted his second of the season to tie the game at 16:40.
Bryce Lipinski then went to work during a lengthy two-man advantage, scoring with three seconds to go in the period and then again at 1:42 of the second with his fifth of the year to make it 3-1.
Brent Aiken made it 4-1 at 3:26 with his second of the year, ending the night for Stars’ starting goalie Eric Mann (13 saves) and bringing in back-up Jordan Kelso (10 stops).
DeBenedet welcomed Kelso to the game just 1:10 later with his first of the night, then scored again at 18:19 for a 6-2 lead after Jesse Taylor’s power-play goal had drawn the Stars closer.
Daniel Delpaggio and Kris Kellaway beat Lakers’ goalie Ryan Ferguson (32 saves) before the halfway point of the third to give the Stars hope down only two.
But the Lakers’ power-play unit, which leads the league at an amazing 39 percent success rate, put the game away with two goals in 15 seconds.
DeBenedet collected his hat-trick goal at 14:42, then got into it with Delpaggio after Taylor was hit with a kneeing minor after the puck went in.
On the ensuing man-advantage, Colton Spicer celebrated his return to the Lakers with his first goal at 14:57.
The Fort Frances native was acquired from the English River Miners last Wednesday (Oct. 16) in exchange for forward Bryson Jasper and defenceman Ben Smaha—only three days after the Miners got Spicer from the Portage Terriers of the MJHL.
The 18-year-old Spicer went to training camp with the Terriers, but left shortly after camp was over to return to the Fort. He never suited up for the Miners before the trade was announced.
“The opportunity presented itself to bring [Spicer] back and after a few days of talking about it with our staff, Colton, and the Miners, the trade was finalized [last Wednesday] afternoon,” noted Strachan.
“Colton brings the obvious scoring touch, he plays a physical game, and adds further depth to our forward corps.”
Spicer led the Lakers in goals last season with 24, and was second on the team in scoring with 56 points in 45 games, along with 49 penalty minutes.
He has 76 points in 84 career games with the Fort.
The forward was named the SIJHL’s Most Improved Player last season, but left the team abruptly on the eve of the playoffs after an undisclosed incident at practice.
Jasper, a 19-year-old from Rainy River, had 11 points in nine games with the Lakers this season, along with eight penalty minutes.
The 18-year-old Smaha from Winnipeg had no points in four games, along with two penalty minutes.
On Friday night against an again undermanned Wisconsin team (15 skaters), meanwhile, the Lakers outshot the Wilderness 60-33 and scored six unanswered goals after Wisconsin opened the scoring on a power-play goal by Sawyer Jacobson.
Brandon Sinclair tied the game with one of three Laker power-play goals in four attempts for his first of the season before leaving the game later with a lacerated shin after blocking a shot.
He is listed as “day-to-day.”
Cousineau and Lipinski, who tallied with just three seconds left in the middle frame, made it 3-1.
Lyndon Lipinski sandwiched his fourth and fifth of the year around Torrin Grange’s fourth to round out the scoring in the third.
Jordan Cartney made 32 saves for the Lakers while Luke Thompson was valiant in defeat with a 54-save effort.
In related news, the SIJHL announced its Pizza Hut Players of the Week for the past two weeks.
Defenceman Matt O’Dea of the Minnesota Iron Rangers earned the honour for this past week after notching four points in two games.
Goalie Robert Kopytek-MacKenzie (Dryden Ice Dogs) was chosen for the week of Oct. 6-13 after making 64 regulation saves and three more in a shootout while going 2-0 with a 3.00 GAA.
Ferguson and English River goalie P.D. Melgoza also received consideration for the award behind Kopytek-MacKenzie.
Three SIJHL players also got the call to attend training camp for the Canada West team competing in the World Junior ‘A’ Challenge in Yarmouth, N.S. from Nov. 4-10.
Delpaggio and Taylor will join Dryden’s Derek MacPhail at the camp, which begins Saturday and runs until next Wednesday.
The Lakers are back in action tonight in their first game at the new Couchiching Arena, where they’ll host Minnesota (5-3) at 7:30 p.m.
