Staff
If this keeps up much longer in 2017, the Fort Frances Lakers will be among the few who actually miss 2016.
Derek McPhail and Kristopher Hamlin each had a goal and two assists as the host Dryden GM Ice Dogs beat the Lakers 4-1 on Saturday night to keep Fort Frances winless in the new year.
The loss came one night after the Lakers were dumped 5-2 by the Thunder Bay North Stars at the Ice For Kids Arena.
The fifth-place Lakers (11-13-2-3) actually opened the scoring against league-leading Dryden (25-4-3) when Ryan Gazich tallied at 6:42 of the first.
Jared Virtanen drew an assist to run his point-scoring streak to 14-straight games.
But Braeden Allkins tied it at 17:53 of the second before McPhail, Garrett Graham (empty net), and Hamlin scored in the third to give the Ice Dogs their sixth-straight win.
Patrik Zubick made 27 saves to earn the win while Brandon Bodnar had 30 stops in a losing cause.
On Friday, Dylan Kooner scored twice in just over four minutes midway through the first period to erase Thunder Bay’s early lead on Jett Leishman’s marker.
The second-place North Stars (23-8-2) were incensed over the second goal, believing it never went in the net.
The visitors converted that anger into action—tying the game at 18:25 of the first when Brad Throwers split the Lakers’ defencemen before whipping a shot past goalie Dakota Delbridge.
Thunder Bay poured it on in the second, with Troy Sherman, Brett Wolframe (power play), and Tyler Minoletti bulging the twine.
Minoletti’s tally at 15:58 ended of the night for Delbridge, who was pulled in favour of Bodnar after yielding five goals on 17 shots.
Bodnar stopped all 12 shots he faced the rest of the way.
The Lakers will try to get back on track Wednesday when they head to Hoyt Lakes to face the last-place Minnesota Iron Rangers (6-23-2), who beat the Lakers 5-4 in overtime here last Tuesday (Jan. 3).
Then they’ll host the third-place Thief River Falls Norskies (16-12-2-3) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Ice For Kids Arena.
