Staff
How quickly things can change.
The Fort Frances Lakers had a chance to get as high in the SIJHL standings as they’ve been all season with a victory Saturday night against the host Thief River Falls Norskies.
But instead of tying Thief River Falls for third place, the Lakers fell 5-2 snap their four-game winning streak.
Coupled with a 4-3 triumph for the English River Miners over the Minnesota Iron Rangers, Fort Frances (18-15-2-3) slipped all the way to fifth place–one point back of English River (19-17-1-3) and four behind Thief River Falls (20-15-2-3).
The Lakers do hold two games in hand over both squads.
The Norskies, who racked up a 42-25 advantage on the shot clock, scored three unanswered goals in the third period to break a 2-2 tie.
Keaton Huot’s go-ahead marker at 6:25 of the final frame came just 17 seconds after Matt Tustin had tied the game for the Lakers.
Dalton Johnson and Dylan Dix (empty-netter) also tallied in the third for the Norskies while Parker Simonson and Johnson each bulged the twine in the second.
Maverick Lynes broke a 15-game scoring drought with his first-period marker to open the scoring.
Ryan Buttazzoni made 23 saves to earn the win while Jessie Heisz had 37 stops in defeat.
The Lakers next head up Highway 502 to face the first-place Dryden GM Ice Dogs (31-4-4) tonight.
The red-hot Ice Dogs, who are 5-1 against the Lakers so far this season, have won six-straight games and are ranked No. 9 in the country in the latest CJHL Top 20 weekly rankings announced today.
The Lakers then head to Thunder Bay on Wednesday night to square off against the second-place North Stars (24-13-3-0).
Their next home game is this Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Ice For Kids Arena in the opener of a home-and-home series versus English River.
