Lucas Punkari
The seesaw battle for first place in the SIJHL between the Fort Frances Lakers and Wisconsin Wilderness swung back in favour of the local team Tuesday night in Chisholm thanks to a 7-2 win over the expansion Iron Range Ironheads.
In addition to again leading the seven-team loop with a record of 11-2-1, the Lakers also notched their fourth-straight victory to match their previous longest winning streak of the season.
The Ironheads actually jumped out to a 2-0 lead halfway through the first period on goals by Justin Becton and Christopher Andre.
But a power-play goal by Dane Morin, a successful penalty shot attempt by Jaret Leclair, and an even-strength marker by Adam Wensley during the second half of the frame put the Lakers up 3-2—a lead they would not relinquish.
“They [Iron Range] came out hungry and aggressive, which I think caught us off-guard a little bit, and we had two bad breakdowns that led to their two goals,” noted Lakers’ head coach and general manager Wayne Strachan.
“We talked about how we needed to start working harder and playing smarter,” he added. “And after our first goal [by Morin], we just started to take over the momentum.
“Then we got a break with the penalty shot to tie things up, and from that point on we just started to roll.”
Wensley added another goal to complete the scoring for the Lakers in the third period, with Jon Stephansson, Byron Katapaytuk, and Ryan Wildman also hitting the twine.
Although Katapaytuk and Morin led the way on offence with a goal and two assists each, Strachan was pleased to see how Stephansson preformed in his return to the lineup after suffering a concussion earlier this month.
“I thought he played well as he kept things simple and he worked hard,” Strachan lauded.
“He joined a three-on-two rush and buried a rebound for a short-handed goal, and he had another breakaway short-handed later on.
“And I bet he wishes he had it back now as it was a great chance for a second short-handed goal.”
The Lakers now are preparing for a home-and-home series with the Sioux Lookout Flyers, which will begin tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. at the Ice For Kids Arena here.
The rematch goes Saturday in Sioux Lookout.
In off-ice news, the Lakers acquired forward Dallas Allaire from Dryden yesterday to complete a deal the two teams made in September that saw Chris Belhumer join the Ice Dogs.
Allaire, a 19-year-old from Nipigon in his second season in the SIJHL, and had four goals and six assists in 11 games for the Ice Dogs prior to yesterday’s trade.
“Dallas will be in our lineup on Friday night,” Strachan noted.
“We now have 17 forwards on our roster after this trade, so we will be looking at cutting down that number a.s.a.p.,” he added.
