Joey Payeur
After shooting down the North Stars, the Fort Frances Lakers are ready to put the bite on their toughest opponent this season.
The Lakers earned their fourth-straight strip to the SIJHL final after thrashing Thunder Bay 8-3 in Game 5 of their best-of-seven semi-final here Thursday night.
With the 4-1 series victory, the defending champion Lakers earned a date with the Dryden GM Ice Dogs, who ousted the Minnesota Iron Rangers in six games after a 3-1 triumph at home on Saturday.
The Lakers won the season series 9-4-0-1 although Dryden took the last two meetings.
And its five wins against Fort Frances were more than any other SIJHL team.
Game 1 goes here Thursday at 7:30 p.m., with Game 2 set for Friday at 6:30 p.m.
The earlier start time is due to an agreement between the Lakers and Border Skating Club, which will be making final preparations that day for its annual ice show on the weekend.
Part of the deal reportedly will see the Lakers assist the club on Friday in decorating the rink.
Both the Lakers and Ice Dogs already are assured berths at the Dudley Hewitt Cup (the Central Canada Junior ‘A’ championship), which will be held here April 28-May 2.
Fort Frances is in as the host team while Dryden will be the SIJHL rep regardless of the outcome of the final series.
But that doesn’t mean the local squad is approaching the final as some meaningless warm-up.
“We want to win the championship,” said Lakers’ defenceman A.J. Kapcheck, who had three assists in Game 5 against the North Stars.
“I feel like that’s the vibe that’s in our room right now.”
Lakers’ forward Colton Spicer had his biggest game of the post-season in Game 5, scoring twice on the power play and adding an assist.
“I was in a slump for a bit so it felt good to come through tonight [Thursday],” said Spicer, who only had two assists through the first four games of the series.
“I’m a fourth-year guy on this team so it’s good to be able to produce.”
Lakers’ coach and general manager Wayne Strachan is glad to have home-ice advantage for the final based on how his team performed here against Thunder Bay.
“I thought we played well all three games at home,” said Strachan.
“When we were there, we were hit-and-miss,” he admitted.
“Give Thunder Bay credit,” Strachan added. “They worked hard to battle and take the series as long as they could.”
Goalie Nathan Park won for the fourth time in four starts in the series, making 26 saves, including a sparkling glove stop on Tim Cavar’s one-timer with three seconds left in the middle frame.
He also thwarted Daniel McKitrick’s in-close chance early in the third.
Cody Antonini, meanwhile, had a big-time offensive effort from the point for the Lakers—racking up five assists in Thursday’s win.
Nolan Ross also had two goals for the Lakers while Mason Meyer (power play), Wyatt Cota, Sam Schultz, and Bowen Alcock added singles.
McKitrick scored twice for the North Stars, with Cavar adding the other.
Eric Mann was the surprise starter in goal after Nathaniel Dupuis made 47 saves in Thunder Bay’s victory in Game 4.
But Mann was gone after Ross’ tally at 7:56 of the second, giving up four goals on 24 shots.
Dupuis relieved him and matched Mann’s total of 20 saves.
The Lakers played without forward Lucas DeBenedet (leg) for the fourth-straight game.
But Strachan was optimistic he would have the two-time finalist for the league’s MVP award back in the lineup for Game 1 of the final, along with defenceman Gordon Campbell.
Forward Donovan Cousineau is back skating with the team but there’s still no timetable for his return.
