Joey Payeur
The Fort Frances Lakers muddled through the post-holiday mire but still came away with their winning streak intact.
After a sloppy 7-4 win over the English River Miners in Ear Falls on Friday night, the Lakers got back to basics defensively in a 3-1 triumph here Saturday to sweep the home-and-home series and extend their winning streak to six games.
The Lakers also held on to the No. 5 spot in this week’s Canadian Junior ‘A’ Hockey League top 20 rankings.
“Tonight was a much better game for us,” Lakers’ head coach and general manager said after Saturday’s contest.
“Right from the get-go we controlled the tempo and play,” he noted.
“We had numerous good opportunities to score . . . I think we hit four or five posts tonight and we missed a couple of 2-on-1s that I still can’t believe.
“But considering we’ve been operating mostly with three lines and five defencemen lately, I’m proud of what we did,” Strachan added.
Kevin Kurm, who received honourable mention for Pizza Hut Player-of-the-Week honours won by Minnesota Iron Rangers’ defenceman Matt O’Dea, gave his team an early spark.
The Thunder Bay native converted a pass from Bryce Lipinski from behind the net into the slot just 35 seconds into the game for his 18th of the season—good for fourth on the team.
“As a team, we’re showing what it takes to win,” noted Kurm, whose darkened left eye showed the result of a cross-check to his face in Ear Falls the previous night.
“We have to remember to keep working hard every game and every practice, and it will pay off,” he stressed.
Kyle Lipinski netted the eventual game-winner on a 5-on-3 power-play at 5:02 of the second—one-timing Cody Wickstrom’s cross-ice pass along the Miners’ blueline for his second goal in two nights and third of the campaign.
“There was no aiming . . . I just shot it at the net,” smiled Lipinski, who also made his physical presence felt when he destroyed English River’s John Morales with a clean open-ice hit in the third period.
“I saw [Morales] cutting across the middle, and I just stepped up and let him know I was there,” he remarked.
After Miners’ defenceman Ben Smaha got tossed for a first-period fight with Brent Aiken, another former Laker had an impact on the game — so much so, he helped himself earn a ticket back to the Fort.
Bryson Jasper drove hard to the net and somehow squeezed the puck past Jordan Cartney at 7:19 of the third to make it a one-goal game.
It turned out it was his last contribution to the Miners, as it was announced yesterday that Jasper had been reacquired by the Lakers for a player development fee.
Fort Frances originally had traded Jasper and Smaha to English River for forward Colton Spicer back on Oct. 18.
“We are very happy to have Bryson back in the lineup,” Strachan said about the 19-year-old Rainy River product, who has a combined 10 goals and 13 assists in 19 games for the Lakers and Miners this season.
“It was a tough decision to trade him in the first place and to have the opportunity to add him at this time is good for our hockey team,” added Strachan.
“Bryson can bring some different things to the lineup,” he noted.
“He plays with energy, some grit, and obviously can help on the offensive side of things.”
Patrick Sofer, who took a huge hit to start the play that set up Kurm’s goal, ended Saturday’s suspense when he deposited his 10th of the year into an empty net with 15 seconds left after the Miners repeatedly couldn’t get back onside at the Laker blueline.
Cartney improved to 18-2-1 on the season, and lowered his league-leading GAA to 2.48, with a 28-save effort.
Greg Harney made 38 saves in taking the loss.
Friday night’s game saw the teams tied four separate times during the first two periods before the Lakers pulled away with three unanswered markers in the third from Kurm, Mason Meyer, and Sofer.
Kurm and Meyer each scored twice in that one while Lipinski and Cam Gobeil also added goals.
Morales, Vincent Currao, Brendan Wilde, and Paul Lamoureaux replied for English River.
Cartney had 26 stops in the victory while P.D. Melgoza made 36 saves in a losing effort.
The game marked the return of Spicer after missing the previous 10 games with an upper-body injury.
But just three shifts into the game, the Fort Frances native was hit into the boards from behind and suffered a shoulder injury that will put him back on the shelf indefinitely.
“We’ll have to wait . . . to see the extent of his injury,” noted Strachan, who felt a major penalty should have been whistled on the play, which went unpenalized.
“We hope it’s not as serious as the last [injury],” Strachan added.
“It’s a bad break for [Spicer].”
Forward Donovan Cousineau, meanwhile, who has been out since Nov. 9 with a knee injury, said Saturday his knee is improving slowly, but that he still was several weeks away from returning to the lineup.
With the pair out, Strachan decided to bolster his roster with Jasper and two other new acquisitions after the CJAHL roster freeze was lifted New Year’s Day.
The Lakers picked up defenceman Cam Jackson from the Gustavus Adolphus College Gusties (Saint Peter, Mn.) as a free agent, then acquired forward Ryan McQueen from the Neepawa Natives of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League for future considerations.
Jackson, 19, had 23 points in 25 regular-season games with the Lakeville (Mn.) South High School Cougars last season, but was not listed as having seen any action with the Gusties this year.
“[Jackson] is a strong skater, moves the puck well, and should add depth to our defence,” said Strachan.
As for McQueen, Fort Frances will be his third home this season after starting with the Virden Oil Capitals of the MJHL, where he had no points in three games.
The 18-year-old then was dealt to the Natives on Nov. 8, notching three goals in 13 games.
McQueen previously spent two years with the Thunder Bay Kings Midget ‘AAA’ program, garnering 24 points in 42 games.
“[McQueen] will add depth to our team up front with the trade of Torrin Grange to the Elliot Lake Bobcats of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League,” Strachan said of his third transaction of the week, with a player development fee coming the other way from the Bobcats.
“Ryan is a strong skater and . . . will add some size to the team up front,” he added.
The Lakers (28-3-0-2) next host the Minnesota Iron Rangers (20-8-2-2) tonight, who are tied with the Thunder Bay North Stars (20-6-1-3) for second place although the Stars hold two games in hand.
The Lakers then head on the road for a three-game trip that will seem them face the Wisconsin Wilderness on Saturday, Thunder Bay next Tuesday, and then Minnesota the following night (Jan. 15).
