Staff
The Fort Frances Juniors’ revamped lineup struggled in its first game action on Saturday, dropping their exhibition opener 4-1 to the visiting Sioux Lookout Flyers at the Ice For Kids Arena.
Newcomer Connor Foster actually got the Sabres on the board first with a power-play blast from the point in the opening period, but the Flyers scored four unanswered goals in the second and third to take the win.
The Juniors created plenty of opportunities in the final 20 minutes but struggled with execution.
“I thought we carried the play offensively and out-chanced the Sioux, but we couldn’t put the puck home,” Juniors’ head coach Wayne Strachan stressed.
“I didn’t know what to expect, but all in all I think it went better than I believed it would,” Strachan admitted. “We definitely were rough around the edges; however, with only being on the ice as a unit for around five hours [before the game], the players showed they have potential.
“We will work hard now on conditioning, our systems and getting some chemistry with one another,” Strachan added.
Emo native Jameson Shortreed was solid in his debut between the pipes for the first-half of the game.
The Juniors left for Sioux Lookout today at 1:30 p.m. for a rematch with the Flyers in exhibition action.
They are set to open the SIJHL regular season on Sept. 17 when the Fort William North Stars visit the Ice For Kids Arena.
