Staff
Wayne Strachan’s efforts to shore up the back end of his team has yielded two new faces.
The general manager/head coach of the Fort Frances Lakers announced today that goalie Pierce Dushenko was acquired from the Whitecourt Wolverines of the Alberta Junior Hockey League for future considerations.
Defenceman Austen Bietenbeck, meanwhile, was picked up from the Grande Prairie Storm (AJHL) for a player development fee.
“[Dushenko] will come in and battle for the No. 1 goalie position,” said Strachan, who hasn’t gotten the netminding performance he hoped so far from the tandem of Devin Tappenden and Ryan Ferguson.
In eight games with the Wolverines this season, Dushenko posted a 3.97 GAA and an .873 save percentage.
The 18-year-old will dress for tonight’s game against the Dryden GM Ice Dogs if all his paperwork clears in time.
Bietenbeck, a 19-year-old from Langley, B.C., did not see any action with Grande Prairie after beginning the season with the Coquitlam Express (BCHL).
“He is a big-body player who has great reach, is good in front of his net, and is a stay-at-home defenceman with a heavy shot,” noted Strachan.
“We feel both will be key parts in our pursuit of achieving the goals we have set out for this season.”
