Joey Payeur
The Fort Frances Lakers had plenty of great skill and good luck to carry them to the past three SIJHL titles.
While the skill still is present at times this season, the luck apparently went on an extended vacation.
A bizarre week for the Lakers was capped Saturday night with a 4-2 loss to the Dryden GM Ice Dogs at the Ice For Kids Arena.
From two players getting hurt in practice on Thursday to team scoring leader Jared Virtanen suffering a separated shoulder during his shootout try in a 4-3 loss to the host Thunder Bay North Stars the previous night, it’s enough to leave Wayne Strachan wondering who has the voodoo doll with the Lakers’ jersey on it.
“We played a pretty decent hockey game [Saturday] considering we didn’t get home [from Thunder Bay] until 4 a.m.,” noted the head coach and general manager, whose fifth-place Lakers (2-7-1-2) have lost their last three games via overtime, a shootout, and in regulation time.
“I don’t think we can be too disappointed.”
The troubles that have plagued Strachan’s team all season grew worse during Thursday’s ill-fated practice, which saw defencemen Jun Yi ‘Frank’ Zhong and Matt Bruinsma sidelined in separate incidents.
They were added to an injury list that already included forwards Nathan Washington and Jaden Gustafson, along with defenceman Bryce Patterson.
Then came Friday’s game in Thunder Bay, which started well enough for the Lakers before falling apart late.
Julian Uhryniuk (power play) and Virtanen (short-handed) scored 39 seconds apart late in the first to make it 2-0.
Former Laker Aaron Wesley-Chisel responded with 12 seconds left in the second, but Uhryniuk completed his first two-goal game of the season 1:20 into the third with another man-advantage marker to put the Lakers up 3-1.
The first-place North Stars (10-4-1) refused to go away quietly, however, as Jett Leisman and Justin Muir lit the lamp 57 seconds apart later in the period to tie things up.
“On the tying goal, they get it to bounce off of our own forward and it catches [Lakers’ goalie Brandon Bodnar] going the wrong way,” sighed Strachan.
A scoreless overtime led to an almost-equally scoreless shootout, which saw the first seven skaters combined denied by Bodnar and North Stars’ goalie Nathaniel Dupuis.
One of those seven was Virtanen, with a team-best 15 points this season, who accidentally got tied up with Dupuis and crashed to the ice.
The result was a separated shoulder that Strachan said will keep his top-line centre out of action for at least a couple of weeks.
Brett Wolframe then rubbed salt in the Lakers’ wound by beating Bodnar in the fourth round to end the shootout.
The Lakers again got the first goal here Saturday night against Dryden, with Matt Tustin connecting on the power play at 8:11 of the first.
But Tristan Knott and Derek McPhail (power play) gave the Ice Dogs a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes.
Tyler Malpass then extended the Lakers’ unique streak by scoring the team’s seventh-straight goal on special teams to even the score at 5:45 of the third.
Returning defenceman Ryan Gazich, re-acquired by the Lakers after spending four games with the Kenai River Brown Bears (North American Hockey League), got an assist for the second-straight night.
“It’s great to have Ryan back. He improved a lot with us last year in a defensive role and now he’s improved his game puck-wise,” Strachan said about the 20-year-old from Eagan, Mn.
“He addresses what we need in the back end, and has good patience and poise,” Strachan added.
“He’s a big reason the power-play unit has stepped up the last two games [4-for-11] and he’s a piece of the puzzle that will help make us a better hockey team.”
But a roughing penalty to Tustin proved costly later in the third as just five seconds into it, Cory Dennis wired a shot from the point through a screen for the eventual game-winner at 9:14.
“I don’t see a roughing call,” said Strachan.
“Both their second and third goals came on power plays where I don’t think a penalty should have been called in each situation.”
Bodnar raced to the bench for an extra skater in the final minute but before the sixth man hit the ice, Dryden got control of the puck and Nic Noseworthy drained a long-distance empty-netter to seal the win.
Patrick Zubick finished with 20 saves for the third-place Ice Dogs (8-2-1) while Bodnar turned aside 31 shots.
The two teams met again last night at the Ice For Kids Arena, with the score unavailable as of press time.
The Lakers then will host the last-place Minnesota Iron Rangers (2-8) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Ice For Kids Arena.
