Staff
It took seven to reach 11th heaven, with the captain leading the charge.
Miles Nolan’s goal in the seventh round of the shootout gave the Fort Frances Lakers a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Iron Rangers last night in Hoyt Lakes in the opener of a home-and-home series.
The Lakers (28-7-0-1) now sport an 11-game winning streak—second-best in the Canadian Junior Hockey League behind the Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL), who won their 13th-straight game Tuesday night.
Goalies Nathan Park and Kyle Carignan were the story for most of the night, with Park making 30 saves in regulation and overtime to earn the win.
Carignan piled up 35 saves in taking the loss.
The netminders carried their strong play into the shootout.
With the Lakers shooting first, Carignan turned away Colton Spicer, Lucas DeBenedet, and Carter Chorney.
Park, meanwhile, denied Evan Erickson, Thomas Fazio, and Jason Reynolds to force the breakaway competition to reach the point where it only would take one goal and one miss within the same round to end the game.
Wyatt Cota, the SIJHL’s reigning player-of-the-week, gave the Lakers the first edge in the shootout by beating Carignan.
But Hunter Routheau, who had tallied at 8:21 of the third to force overtime, kept Minnesota (19-12-5) alive with a marker of his own against Park.
Mason Meyer, who scored the Lakers’ lone goal in regulation early in the second to extend his point streak to nine games, missed his shootout chance in Round 5, as did Mason Hobson of the Rangers.
Dylan Robertson and former Laker Alex Rezansoff then traded goals in Round 6 before Nolan’s tally.
That left the extra point in the hands of Park, who thwarted Gus Karkinen to run his record to 5-0.
He also lowered his GAA to 1.09 while bumping up his save percentage to .962.
DeBenedet was held off the scoresheet last night to see his point streak end at 10 games.
Meyer and DeBenedet’s regular linemate, Bryson Jasper, missed the game as he is away this week to attend the wedding of his sister.
Donovan Cousineau, who sat out last game, was back in the lineup.
The Lakers, now have won six-of-nine meetings against Minnesota this season, will welcome the Iron Rangers on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. to wrap up the two-game set.
In related news, Team West beat Team East 5-3 in the CJHL’s 2015 “Prospects Game” on Monday in Oakville.
Two of Ontario’s three Junior ‘A’ leagues—the SIJHL and the NOJHL—were the only two out of 10 Junior ‘A’ leagues in the country that did not have a representative in the game.
The rosters were chosen in partnership with NHL Central Scouting, and was made up of players it had recommended.
