Staff
With the league-leading Wisconsin Wilderness having the weekend off, the Fort Frances Lakers had hoped to gain some ground in the standings as they battled for top spot in the seven-team loop.
Instead, the Lakers found themselves losing ground after they fell 6-3 in Sioux Lookout on Friday night and then 5-2 to the Dryden Ice Dogs here Saturday night.
With the losses, the Lakers sit with a record of 19-8-4 (42 points)—putting them five back of the Wilderness (23-3-1), who hold four games in hand.
The Lakers found themselves trailing 3-1 entering the third period Friday night, but they knotted the score just past the halfway point of the frame thanks to goals by Jordan Christianson and Brett McMahon.
The host Flyers moved back out in front a few minutes later, however, as Cory LaCosse and Cody Fraser tallied in a 23-second span.
Former Lakers’ forward Dane Morin led the Flyers with two goals and an assist in his first meeting against his former team while Anthony Wolfe chipped in with three assists.
Jon Carlson netted the other goal for the Lakers.
Then in Saturday’s game, the Lakers trailed the Ice Dogs by a pair of goals early in the first period, with Diego Breckenridge and Chris Belhumer chasing Tanner Hamilton from the net after only eight minutes of action.
Although the Lakers cut the deficit down to a single goal heading into final period, Belhumer and Tyson Holder both hit the twine to seal the victory.
Henry Gutierrez and Alex Bruess scored for the Lakers.
The Lakers will look to get back on track this weekend when they travel to Thunder Bay and take on the North Stars on Friday and Saturday.
Those games also will have massive implications in the SIJHL standings heading into the holiday break, with the North Stars now sitting just seven points back of the Lakers with three games in hand.
The Lakers then will host the Iron Range Ironheads next Monday (Dec. 19) at 7:30 p.m. at the Ice For Kids Arena in what will be the squad’s final game before Christmas.
