Dan Falloon
Even though it’s a home game, the Fort Frances Lakers probably would rather not be playing it.
There will be a Game 6 here Friday night after the K&A Wolverines pulled out a 5-4 win over the host Lakers last night to knot their first-round SIJHL series at two games apiece.
After earning a 4-2 win here Saturday night, the Lakers had a chance to grab a 3-1 stranglehold on the series—and a shot at finishing the job in Game 5 on Thursday night in Thunder Bay.
Instead, they’ll need a road victory to keep them from the brink of elimination.
Fort Frances fell behind early Saturday night as Wolverines’ captain Matt Valley teed up a power-play point shot that got past Lakers’ goalie Jameson Shortreed at 5:07 of the first period.
The lead was short-lived, though, as Jordan Carne put Byron Katapaytuk’s centering feed past Wolverines’ goalie Spencer Malone at 8:19.
Henry Gutierrez then scored on a backhand at 11:11 to give the Lakers the lead.
Rory McKie knotted things for K&A at 12:23, but Katapaytuk picked off a clearing pass and wired the eventual game-winner at 14:08 to put the Lakers up 3-2 after one.
The second period was silent until Jaret Leclair rounded out the scoring, bumping home a rebound with just 10 seconds to go in the frame.
The third period was scoreless.
Shortreed made 30 saves in the win while Malone stopped 27 for K&A.
Then last night, the Lakers made strides early to earn a third-straight win—jumping out to a 2-0 lead.
Morgan McNeill kicked things off with a blast past Malone at 5:24 before Irv Lockman, who scored just one goal during the regular season, drove to the net and eventually banged one home at 8:30, ending Malone’s evening early.
The Wolverines clawed to within one after crashing the crease. Matt Hunter eventually slammed one to the back of the net after Shortreed became tangled up with a K&A forward.
But Fort Frances regained their two-goal cushion when Lockman blasted a shot over Wolverines’ back-up goalie Eric Swanick just 11 seconds into the second.
K&A struck right back, however, as Pierre-Luc Mercier swept a shot past Shortreed just 32 seconds later.
Tim Harris then helped the Wolverines pull even when his wrister eluded Shortreed at 8:23 before Brett Almgren gave K&A their first lead of the night when he banged home a juicy rebound at 13:58 to make it 4-3.
The Wolverines increased the cushion to a pair as Aaron Ross tucked one home at 5:23 of the third.
Lockman drew the Lakers within one at 11:29 when he completed his hat trick off an impressive play by Gutierrez, who kicked the puck to his stick and dished off to Lockman seemingly in one motion.
Lockman slammed the puck into the twine, but Fort Frances could get no closer.
Shortreed made 35 saves in the loss while the tandem of Malone and Swanick combined to turn aside 24 Lakers’ shots.
Meanwhile, in the double round-robin showdown between Dryden, Fort William, and Sioux Lookout, the Ice Dogs took the advantage after the first round of play, downing the North Stars 2-1 in overtime on Saturday to boost their record to 2-0.
Fort William had defeated Sioux Lookout 4-1 on Friday to sit at 1-1 while the Flyers are at 0-2.
