Joey Payeur
The Ice For Kids Arena became the Vela-drome for a night.
Matt Vela had a hat trick, and Bowen Alcock netted the game-winner with 2:52 left in the third, as the Fort Frances Lakers doubled the English River Miners 4-2 in SIJHL action Saturday.
“[Vela] had a strong start to the season and contributed right away, then the last few games he’s been snake-bitten,” noted Lakers’ head coach and general manager Wayne Strachan.
“Tonight, he came to play and worked hard . . . he can be a big part of our offence,” Strachan added.
After scoring on a backhander from in front at 15:15 of the first to give the Lakers (8-3-1) the early lead, Vela took advantage of good fortune in notching the equalizer after Jake Staples had scored back-to-back goals to put English River (1-8-1) in front.
Only 30 seconds after Staples’ second goal, Vela drove to the net and chipped Miles Nolan’s pass in front over Miners’ goalie Greg Harney at 10:50 of the third to make it 2-2.
Then with overtime looming, Dylan Kooner notched his third assist of the game with a beautiful set-up of Alcock on a 2-on-1, which Alcock zipped “five-hole” past Harney at 17:08.
Vela then added insurance with an empty-netter with one second left—finishing the play in somewhat ungraceful fashion by losing his balance and sliding to a stop at the feet of one of the linesmen at the left-wing boards.
“A hat trick’s a hat trick,” the 20-year-old from Burnaby, B.C. chuckled about his footwork faux pas.
Devin Tappenden made 21 saves to help the Lakers bounce back from being swept by the Minnesota Iron Rangers in a home-and-home series last week.
“That was a much-needed win,” agreed Vela.
“We were feeling pretty down about ourselves after the two losses.
“Now we can go home with a smile on our face,” he added. “But we have to come here ready to work next week.”
Harney turned aside 37 shots for the Miners, who earned their first win of the season the previous night against the Iron Rangers after dropping their first eight games.
“I don’t want to say were too young, but we’ve got a lot of guys who are learning to play at this level,” said Miners’ head coach and general manager Kevin Kahoot.
“We didn’t play 60 minutes tonight.”
The Lakers played without injured defenceman Max Kaercher (shoulder) and SIJHL scoring leader Colton Spicer, who was serving the second of a three-game suspension for a hit to the head delivered Oct. 14 against Minnesota.
Fort Frances hosts the Dryden GM Ice Dogs (5-4-2) tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.
Dryden was swept in a two-game series against the host Thunder Bay North Stars on Friday and Saturday, and now have slipped to fourth in the standings after losing five of their last seven.
