Joey Payeur
The Fort Frances Lakers are in the midst of a 10-day break away from competition.
The rest of the SIJHL just breathed a sigh of relief.
The Lakers (16-1-0-1) bulldozed their way to their 15th-straight win with a 5-2 triumph over the host Dryden Ice Dogs (9-12) on Saturday to sweep a home-and-home series that began with a 6-3 victory here last Thursday.
Head coach and general manager Wayne Strachan said it was very important to his squad to enter their extended break on a high note.
“We cannot take this break lightly,” he stressed.
“In 10 days, we play the team that has given us the most problem so far.”
That would be the second-place Thunder Bay North Stars (10-2-1-2), who quickly are watching the first-place Lakers’ taillights fade in the distance.
Fort Frances now leads the league by 10 points, although the Stars hold three games in hand.
“I think the break is welcomed by the team,” suggested Strachan.
“We can hem and haw about should we do [the break],” he added. “But we will find out on Nov. 19 how it affects us.”
Dryden, facing a slew of injuries right now and struggling to ice more than 14 skaters on any given night, could not match firepower in either game against the Lakers.
“We believe we bring four lines that can score,” noted Strachan.
“All four lines, for the most part, play in all situations and we have been fair to all of our players.
“But if you can put out four lines that can score, it’s definitely a bonus for your team,” he reasoned.
That was illustrated in Saturday night’s victory, with only Lucas DeBenedet (two assists) getting multiple points while 12 different Lakers registered at least one.
Miles Nolan (short-handed) and Mason Meyer gave the Fort a 2-0 first-period lead, with Chris Sitko replying for Dryden before the end of the frame.
Brent Aiken made it a two-goal game once again at 3:59 of the second.
“It was hard work, some bounces, and [Aiken being] Johnny-on-the-spot to bang in the [well-deserved] goal,” recalled Strachan.
Tim Kavanaugh brought the Ice Dogs closer at 9:18, but Billy Grillo stretched the lead to 4-2 at 16:27.
Hunter Leishman closed the scoring with the lone goal of the third at 12:40.
Jordan Cartney, making a serious bid to be the Lakers’ No. 1 goalie, made 23 saves in his third-consecutive start and fourth in the last five games.
Robert Kopytek-McKenzie countered with 36 stops for Dryden.
DeBenedet’s two helpers now means he leads the SIJHL in goals (15) and points (31), and is tied for the lead in assists (16) with Thomas Fazio of the Minnesota Iron Rangers.
In Thursday night’s win here, Patrick Sofer’s marker at 15:44 of the third proved to be the decisive goal and also the biggest thorn in the side of Dryden interim bench boss Mike English.
“There’s two guys jousting, and one of their guys brings his stick up and cuts our guy wide open,” noted English, filling in for head coach Paul Maclean, who will miss two weeks of action after the death of his mother.
“Then they score 10 seconds later. It was a backbreaker. . . .
“It’s a tough job [to referee],” conceded English. “We’re just looking for more consistency.”
DeBenedet opened the scoring to inject some life into a lackluster opening frame, which followed a short Remembrance Day ceremony before the game that included a ceremonial puck drop by 1952 Fort Frances Canadians’ member Gordie Calder.
Kavanaugh tied the game in the second, with Riley Daly putting the Lakers back in front later in the stanza.
Meyer made it 3-1 in the third before Sitko’s man-advantage goal trimmed the lead to one.
After Sofer’s goal, Dryden’s Derek McPhail lit the lamp during a two-man advantage with 1:37 left.
The Ice Dogs then pulled Kopytek-McKenzie on the subsequent face-off to again have a two-skater advantage.
But the plan backfired as Lyndon Lipinski and Cody Wickstrom scored empty-net short-handed goals 11 seconds apart to wipe out any hope of a dramatic finish.
In related news, Brendan Wilde of the English River Miners was named the SIJHL’s Pizza Hut Player of the Week.
Wilde had five goals in two games, both which resulted in Miners’ victories.
DeBenedet earned consideration for the award.
The Lakers’ next home game is slated for next Friday (Nov. 22), when the Wisconsin Wilderness visit the IFK Arena at 7:30 p.m.
