Joey Payeur
The Fort Frances Lakers got back to their winning ways on the weekend.
But they may have to try continuing to do so for the next few games without arguably their best player this season.
The No. 7-ranked Lakers snapped a season-high three-game losing streak by blanking the Minnesota Iron Rangers 8-0 on Friday night and then beating the Dryden GM Ice Dogs 5-2 on Saturday at the Ice For Kids Arena.
But an incident with 1:10 left in the third period involving Lakers’ defenceman Nick Minerva and Dryden forward Nic Noseworthy most certainly will lead to supplementary discipline from the SIJHL in the coming days.
Minerva, who was the Gongshow Gear Inc. performer-of-the-month for both November and December, got a major penalty for spearing and a game misconduct after he and Noseworthy confronted each other in front of the Lakers’ net.
Because the misconduct came in the last 10 minutes of the third, it automatically comes with a one-game suspension.
But the SIJHL may deliver a harsher penalty due to the nature of the infraction.
“We got very dumb at the end with the penalties we were taking,” said Lakers’ head coach and general manager Wayne Strachan, whose team moved seven points ahead of Dryden for first place.
“We almost let them back in the hockey game.
“It’s not what I like to see. It’s not Laker hockey,” he stressed.
The late-game fracas somewhat overshadowed the Lakers’ solid effort over the first two periods.
Cole Tymkin put the Lakers (27-6-0-1) on the board just 1:26 into the game.
Davis Ross then connected on the power play at 7:04 for his first goal since being traded, along with twin brother Nolan, to their hometown Lakers at the trade deadline (Jan. 10).
Nolan Ross set up his sibling’s tally.
“Davis really got rolling today,” Strachan said about the 20-year-old, who won the RBC Cup national championship with the Portage Terriers (MJHL) last season.
“You see the skill, the patience, the veteran presence,” Strachan noted.
“He’s good for our defence corps.”
Davis Ross added his second goal with a blast 42 seconds into the second period on another man-advantage.
Nolan Ross got in on the act with his first goal in now his second stint with the Lakers at 9:51.
Brandon Zajicek made it 5-0 with 2:06 gone in the third.
Joe Carney and Matt Houston had power-play goals in the final five minutes for the Ice Dogs (22-8-2-2) against Pierce Dushenko, who returned to the Lakers’ net after being injured Jan. 9 against the Thunder Bay North Stars.
He missed the third period of that game, then served as the back-up the next two contests.
Coming off a 4-2 loss to the host Ice Dogs last Wednesday, the Lakers were in overdrive Friday to hand the Iron Rangers their fourth-straight loss.
Andrew Willner had both a power-play and a short-handed goal in the first period to get things rolling.
Willner added his hat trick goal in the third.
A.J. Rupert netted two goals against his former team while Minerva, Matt Tustin, and Ryley Bosman added singles.
Brandon Bodnar made 29 saves to earn his first Junior ‘A’ shutout.
The Lakers don’t play again until Saturday when the Iron Rangers make a return visit to the Ice For Kids Arena.
