Jamie Mountain
What a difference a week makes.
After not winning a game for two months, the Fort Frances Lakers now have won three-straight within a span of just four days last week.
The Lakers finally snapped their lengthy 13-game slide last Wednesday (Jan. 10) when they beat the host Thunder Bay North Stars 5-3, then capped the week with back-to-back wins against the lowly Minnesota Iron Rangers.
Fort Frances earned a narrow 4-3 decision here Friday night before thumping Minnesota 6-2 on Saturday night in Hoyt Lakes.
A big catalyst for the Lakers’ turnaround has been the play of Adam Withers, who had multi-point performances in each of the three wins.
He notched three assists last Wednesday, scored a goal and added two helpers Friday night, and then chipped in with two assists Saturday.
“It feels really good, you know, it’s been a long time coming to get back in the win column,” Withers said after Friday night’s triumph.
“To get on a little bit of a roll here, it feels very nice.”
Withers credited a newly-built chemistry with his line for his recent personal success.
“I think me and [Jack Bernie] have built a bit of chemistry over the last few games and we’ve been really rolling,” he enthused.
“I feel more comfortable,” he added. “I think I’m coming into my game and I’m just feeling good out there.
“So hopefully we keep it going.”
Through 12 games with the Lakers, Withers has recorded three goals and 10 assists.
Lakers’ head coach and general manager Wayne Strachan acquired the 19-year-old forward on Dec. 1 from the Waywayseecappo Wolverines (MJHL) in exchange for forward Jeff Venzon and future considerations.
Strachan has been pleased with what he’s seen from Withers so far.
“Just knowing him as a Midget ‘AAA’ player, and following the last year-and-a-half in the Manitoba league [MJHL], I knew he had the ability to help us and be a big part of the team,” Strachan noted after Friday night’s win.
“It took him a few games to get going but through the last five or six games he’s played, he’s been one of our offensive forces and one of the catalysts we need right now to have success,” he stressed.
Another big factor in the Lakers’ recent success has been strong goaltending from Ismael Ralsten, who was between the pipes for all three wins last week.
“He’s a huge reason why we’ve won two in a row,” Strachan had lauded Friday night.
“That’s a big save tonight, in the dying seconds there with the glove save,” he noted.
“That’s what you need out of your goaltending to help us win games,” Strachan added.
“If we can get that out of ‘Izzy’ and Brett [Akins] through the second half here, it’s only going to prepare us for the playoffs.”
Strachan also has liked the way his team has played through its recent winning streak–and has noticed a shift among the players’ attitudes.
“I think they’re believing in one another and they’re playing together more,” he remarked.
“In the two wins [last Wednesday and Friday], we might not have been at our best but we found a way to close it out and that was something that we lacked during the losing streak.
“They gutted out two close games,” Strachan said. “Thunder Bay came back hard on us and then Minnesota comes back hard on us.
“They [the players] had the urgency, they paid the price, and they realized what it takes to win.
“Hopefully, we can remember that, build off it, and obviously continue to work on our game to get better heading down the stretch here.”
The Lakers (9-20-1-3) next see action tomorrow night when they head back to Hoyt Lakes to face the last-place Iron Rangers (3-26-1-2) for a third-straight game.
Then they cap the week Saturday night when they host the third-place North Stars (19-11-3-0) at 7:30 p.m. at the Ice For Kids Arena.
The Thief River Falls Norskies (28-3-0-0) and Dryden GM Ice Dogs (25-3-5-1) lead the league with 56 points.
The English River Miners (13-14-0-4) sit in fourth place–just eight points ahead of the Lakers.
So how can the Lakers continue their recent success?
“I don’t think we played a full 60 minutes tonight [Friday],” admitted Strachan. “We played good at times and were just good enough to get the win.
“I think we need to put the gas pedal down through 60 [minutes], play with urgency, almost like a playoff-type atmosphere, and be relentless against the other teams,” he stressed.
“If we can help our cause and kind of separate ourselves from them [Minnesota], it’ll be good for us to push forward to reach our goal of getting fourth place,” said Strachan.
