Joey Payeur
The scrawled message in coloured marker on the entrance doors of the Dryden Memorial Arena was clear: “Bring Bill Home.”
It wasn’t meant for them but the Fort Frances Lakers did exactly that.
A.J. Rupert’s power-play goal at 12:01 of the third period Saturday night helped the Lakers earn a 4-2 victory over the host Dryden GM Ice Dogs in Game 6 of the SIJHL final to capture the team’s third-straight Bill Salonen Cup.
“Three years in the league and I finally got my championship,” enthused Rupert, who spent the past two seasons with the Minnesota Iron Rangers.
“I love these boys,” he added. “I don’t even know what to say.”
The Lakers now get a shot at settling unfinished business from last season as they head to Kirkland Lake for the Dudley Hewitt Cup from May 3-7.
Awaiting them will be the defending champion Soo Thunderbirds, who claimed the NOJHL crown again this season after edging the Lakers 3-2 in the Dudley Hewitt final here last year.
The Dudley Hewitt field also will include the OJHL champion Trenton Golden Hawks and the host Kirkland Lake Gold Miners (NOJHL).
On the line is a berth in the RBC Cup, which will be held May 14-24 in Lloydminster, Alta./Sask.
After falling behind 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, the Lakers won the last three games, including a dramatic 6-5 overtime victory here in Game 5 on Friday night.
Rupert scored twice in that game—the second being the game-winner 50 seconds into the extra session.
“We really needed that one,” Rupert said of the Game 5 triumph, which gave the Lakers their first lead of the series.
“We couldn’t come up here having gone down 3-2,” he stressed.
“Dryden’s really tough here.”
Lakers’ captain Dylan Robertson, who had two assists in the clincher, including one on Rupert’s tally, was pleased with how his team didn’t crumble after giving up the first goal just 12 seconds into Game 6.
“Allowing that early one was tough,” he noted. “But if you keep working, good things come.”
Ryley Bosman answered Matt Houston’s opening goal just over two minutes later—banking the puck in from behind the net past Ice Dogs’ goalie Troy Pierce.
Roshen Jaswal then put the Lakers in front to stay at 6:16 of the second.
Jaswal had his first shot blocked by a sliding defender. But he collected the rebound and stepped around the fallen Ice Dog before wiring a wrist shot top shelf.
After Rupert made it 3-1, the drew within one with 4:28 left when Kyle Pouncy’s point shot ricocheted off Nic Noseworthy and past Lakers’ goalie Pierce Dushenko.
But Christian Ripley made good on a long-distance empty-netter with 1:11 to go to ice the victory.
“People were counting us out early in the season,” recalled Lakers’ head coach and general manager Wayne Strachan, who has overseen all three championship teams.
“We were getting compared to last year’s team and fans around town were saying, ‘You’re not as good,’” he noted.
“But we found the pieces of the puzzle to add to make us better.”
Robertson scored twice in Friday’s overtime win while Dylan Kooner and Jaden Gustafson added singles.
Dushenko made 34 saves to preserve the victory.
Houston and Derek McPhail each had a pair of markers for Dryden, with former Laker Ben Smaha notching the other goal.
The Lakers will face Kirkland Lake in their opening game at the Dudley Hewitt Cup on May 3 at 6:30 p.m. (all times CDT).
Then they’ll have to deal with a quick turnaround when they face the Thunderbirds at 1 p.m. on May 4.
The Lakers will wrap up round-robin play May 5 at 1 p.m. versus Trenton.
The first-place team after the round-robin advances straight to the final.
The second- and third-place teams will meet in the semi-final May 6, with the winner advancing to the championship game May 7.
