Joey Payeur
All good things must come to an end.
But it doesn’t mean they can’t begin again.
The Fort Frances Lakers had their 15-game winning streak snapped last week, but started building another stretch of success with back-to-back wins to strengthen their hold on first place in the SIJHL.
The Thunder Bay North Stars (13-3-0-3) took advantage of what may have been a rusty Lakers’ team coming off a 10-day break from action—pulling out a 5-4 shootout victory there last Tuesday.
But Fort Frances (18-1-0-2) rebounded with a 6-5 shootout win of their own the following night against the Minnesota Iron Rangers (13-7-0-3) in Hoyt Lakes to halt the hosts’ six-game winning streak.
The Lakers followed that up with a 6-1 pasting of the cellar-dwelling Wisconsin Wilderness (1-20) here Friday to make it two-straight triumphs.
“Coming off the break, I didn’t think we had our best outings,” admitted Lakers’ head coach and general manager Wayne Strachan, whose team dropped two spots to No. 4 this week in the Canadian Junior ‘A’ Hockey League top 20 rankings.
“The streak had to come to an end sometime,” he reasoned. “I think we got a good wake-up call in both road games.
“The guys realize now where their game has to be to be successful.”
Matthias Gardiman had a hat trick and Zach Grzelewski a single marker in regulation for the Stars against the Lakers.
But it took Trevor Hynnes’ goal in the fifth round of the shootout against Jordan Cartney, followed by Mason Meyer’s missed chance against Nathaniel Dupuis, which finally landed the Lakers back in the loss column for the first time since a 7-6 shootout defeat to the host Dryden Ice Dogs back on Sept. 25.
“There’s a couple of shots that Jordan probably would like to have back,” Strachan said about his goalie.
Kyle and Bryce Lipinski had power-play goals for the Lakers in the loss while Lyndon Lipinski and Lucas DeBenedet scored at even strength.
Colton Spicer and DeBenedet both made good on their shootout opportunities.
With no time to fret about their misfortune, the Lakers were right back at it the following night against the Iron Rangers—and again were pushed to the limit in a back-and-forth affair that featured four lead changes.
Tanner Fricke had consecutive goals at 15:38 of the second and 11:35 of the third to put the Lakers up 5-4.
But Jonathon Losurdo lit the lamp 58 seconds later to force overtime and, eventually, another shootout.
This time, it was Fort Frances that prevailed.
After Spicer and Minnesota’s Jason Reynolds traded goals in the first two rounds, and Lyndon Lipinski and Losurdo were denied in the third round, Fricke beat Alex Reichle in the fourth round to give the Lakers the advantage again.
Cartney, who had replaced Ryan Ferguson after Minnesota went up 4-3 at 14:33 of the second, then stared down Trevor Hoth to clinch the victory.
Meyer scored twice and Patrick Sofer added a single for the Lakers’ other goals in regulation time while Drew Millis, Hoth, Thomas Fazio, and Matt O’Dea had the other Minnesota markers.
Fort Frances then finished the week at home against Wisconsin, who brought in John McCreary as its new head coach Nov. 12 to replace Ian Jensen, who finished his short tenure with the Wilderness with a 1-15 record.
The visitors fell behind 3-0 after the first period thanks to a beautiful top-shelf backhander by DeBenedet, a bank shot from behind the net by Brent Aiken off the back of Wilderness goalie Griffin Strain, and a tap-in by Cody Wickstrom.
Strain’s night was done at 4:27 of the second when DeBenedet notched his second of the night—and league-best 18th of the year—thanks to a perfect pass from Meyer.
Luke Thompson took over but 3:30 later, he had a front-row seat for Hunter Leishman’s “Tasmanian Devil” impression on the way to a 5-0 Lakers’ lead.
Leishman rushed across the Wilderness blueline but was spun around by a defender to his knees.
Undaunted, and with the defender’s stick caught up underneath his arm, Leishman got back up to chase the puck and wound up slamming it past Thompson while leaving the extra stick he brought along with him partially wedged underneath Thompson’s mask.
Billy Grillo cashed in on a Lakers’ power play at 1:46 of the third, with Cartney’s bid for his second shutout of the season ruined by Alex Arnold’s man-advantage marker at 13:38.
“We took care of the middle of the ice tonight better, especially in front of the net,” noted Strachan, who was without three regulars in the lineup.
Miles Nolan is day-to-day with an upper body injury that will force him to miss at least one more game while Donovan Cousineau is week-to-week after being injured in a knee-on-knee collision Nov. 9 against the Ice Dogs.
Meanwhile, blueliner John Dora didn’t dress after not playing the way Strachan hoped in his first two games back from injury.
“John was a healthy scratch in hopes of sending a message,” Strachan remarked.
“We need him at the top of his game every night.”
Friday’s match-up was the first of three-straight between the two clubs, with the second held last night in Spooner (the outcome was unavailable by press time).
The Lakers then will host the Wilderness again this Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Ice For Kids Arena, followed by a clash with Dryden (12-13-1) here Saturday night.
Meyer also received good news yesterday when he was named Pizza Hut Player of the Week.
The 19-year-old from International Falls had eight points in three games last week.
The squad also will hold its annual Christmas bake sale in the arena lobby Saturday from 5-8 p.m.
