Staff
The Fort Frances Lakers will be without one of their blueliners for the next week after receiving one of the first two SIJHL-issued punishments of the season.
Defenceman Gordon Campbell was suspended today for three games after getting a match penalty for attempt to injure during Wednesday night’s 4-2 loss to the host Dryden GM Ice Dogs.
Campbell was assessed the match penalty under Rule 6.1 (a). for attempt to injure following a second-period altercation with Josh Winter.
“I didn’t really have a good view of what took place,” said Lakers general manager and head coach Wayne Strachan.
“I know (Winter) came into our crease area and stuck our goalie,” he continued.
“Gordon reacting to help or protect our netminder and may have taken it to far in what happened.
“I could only see the scrum and players together, not actually what took place.”
SIJHL Commissioner Bryan Graham said the league doesn’t comment on suspensions, though he later added, “The rule usually comes into play when there’s a bite or an eye gouge or something like that.
“This wasn’t any of those things,” he stressed.
“The player just showed a little bit too much aggression.”
Campbell, a 19-year-old from Vancouver, has no points in two games with the Lakers since being signed this past weekend from the Grandview Steelers (Pacific Junior Hockey League).
He will miss tomorrow’s home game against the Thunder Bay North Stars, as well as Tuesday’s road game against the English River Miners and the Lakers’ Oct. 3 home game against Dryden.
Campbell will be eligible to return Oct. 4 when Fort Frances hosts English River.
The SIJHL also suspended Minnesota Iron Rangers’ forward Seth Chumley for two games after a hit to the head of an unidentified Laker in Fort Frances’ 4-3 win in Hoyt Lakes last Sunday, although no penalty was called on the play.
Chumley will miss tonight’s road game in English River and tomorrow’s contest in Dryden.
In related news, Strachan also announced today the signing of defenceman Sam Schultz, an 18-year-old from Hartland, Wis., who played high school hockey for the Arrowhead Warhawks last season.
“He is a strong-skating, puck-moving defenceman,” Strachan said about the 5’10”, 165-pound blueliner.
To make room on the roster, import goalie Stirling Wright was released, along with defenceman Brandon Janveau.
Wright, an 18-year-old out of Bay City, Mich., made the team as the third goalie out of training camp, but didn’t see any action in the Lakers’ three regular-season games so far.
Janveau, a 19-year-old product of Manitouwadge, played in the season-opener against Thunder Bay, notching no points and two penalty minutes.
“We are hoping [Janveau] will consider accepting to go play for a team in the NOJHL,” said Strachan.
