Staff
The Fort Frances Lakers knew their recent trend of starting games slow out of the gate would lead to a quick exit from the SIJHL playoffs.
Yet history repeated itself last night as the Lakers were outshot 12-5 and outscored 3-1 in the first period en route to a 5-3 loss to the K&A Wolverines in the opener of their best-of-seven first-round series.
Game 2 goes tonight in Thunder Bay before the series shifts here for Games 3 and 4 on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 7:45 p.m.
Last night, Rory McKie got K&A on the board 7:34 into the game before David Dawd tallied twice 2:52 apart to stake the hosts to a 3-0 lead.
Mike Jourdain broke the goose egg on the power play with 32 seconds left in the first, beating K&A goalie Spencer Malone.
The Lakers came out blazing in the second, with Jordan Carne and Cody Hasbargen notching power-play markers to even the game at 3-3.
But K&A’s Aaron Ross came through at 16:52, getting the eventual game-winner past Lakers’ goalie Jameson Shortreed.
McKie’s second of the game in the third period provided all the insurance K&A needed in the 5-3 win.
Shortreed stopped 21 shots while Malone turned aside 23.
Byron Katapaytuk dished out a pair of helpers for the Lakers, who finished the game 3-for-6 with the man-advantage.
The Lakers’ record in the regular-season series suggests a win in Game 2 tonight is critical to their chances. The teams split the six games there but the Lakers won only once in their six meetings with the Wolverines here.
Those three road victories accounted for nearly half of the Lakers’ wins away from the friendly confines of the Memorial Sports Centre, finishing with a 7-18-1 record on the road.
Fort Frances recorded a 7-15-4 mark before home fans, but have lost five of their last six here.
In yesterday’s other game, Dryden downed Sioux Lookout 3-1.
Those two teams, along with the first-place Fort William North Stars, are playing a double round-robin to determine seedings in the second-round of the playoffs.
The highest-ranked team after the mini-tournament will choose its opponent while the two remaining will square off.
Those winners then will face each other in the SIJHL final.
