Joey Payeur
The Fort Frances Lakers reached their goal by scoring plenty of goals.
Dylan Robertson converted Nick Minerva’s between-the-legs feed for a power-play goal at 2:05 of overtime to cap a 5-4 victory over the visiting English River Miners as the Lakers wrapped their regular-season schedule yesterday afternoon.
Coupled with a 5-1 win Friday and a 6-3 triumph the following night to open the three-game series, the Lakers (46-8-0-2) tied a franchise record for regular-season victories they previously had set in 2013-14.
“Honestly, I would say it was not our best overall weekend,” admitted Lakers’ head coach and general manager Wayne Strachan, whose team surrendered a 4-1 second-period lead yesterday before pulling out the win in overtime.
“But getting the six points is what we wanted.”
The Lakers were on a 4-on-3 power-play in overtime, and had three defencemen on the ice when Dustin Deugau pinched in from the point and fed Minerva in front.
Without even looking, Minerva redirected the pass to the left side of the slot, where Robertson swooped in to put it top shelf past Miners’ goalie Korlan Vader.
That closed out a fantastic regular season for both Robertson, who won the SIJHL scoring title with 88 points, and Minerva, who led all defencemen in scoring and was second overall to his teammate with 73.
Dylan Kooner, who was back in the lineup Friday night for his first action since Jan. 3 after being out with a fractured scapula, got a short-handed marker to open the scoring yesterday for his first goal since returning.
“The first game I was pretty rusty, especially in the first period, but I knew that was going to happen,” said Kooner.
“I had a few chances and just couldn’t bury them,” he noted.
“But today [Sunday], I got a break and was in a good spot.”
Nolan and Davis Ross also had a goal apiece yesterday while Brandon Bodnar made 31 saves to earn the win.
On Saturday night, the Miners led 2-1 in the second, but then shot themselves in the foot by giving the Lakers eight power plays in the middle frame.
The hosts wound up scoring three power-play goals in the period as part of four-straight tallies.
Christian Ripley led the way with a pair of goals while Deugau, Minerva, Jack Bernie, and Tanner Garnham added singles.
Pierce Dushenko racked up 39 saves in his final tune-up before the playoffs while Reid Kilburn made 35 for the Miners.
Friday’s opener saw all the scoring done in the second period by both teams.
Minerva drilled two power-play goals while Cole Tymkin, Nolan Ross and Robertson also beat Kilburn.
Bodnar had 29 saves for the win.
The Lakers now await the winner of the best-of-five first-round series between last-place English River and the fourth-place Minnesota Iron Rangers that begins Wednesday in Ear Falls.
Regardless of how long that series goes, the two-time defending SIJHL champs tentatively are slated to begin their best-of-seven semi-final series against either the Miners or Iron Rangers on April 1 at the Ice For Kids Arena.
