Staff
The start of the SIJHL post-season did not go according to plan for the Fort Frances Lakers.
The squad dropped the first leg of the 1 vs. 2 showdown series against the host Wisconsin Wilderness by a two-game total score of 9-4 over the weekend.
The teams were knotted up at 2-2 halfway through the series opener Friday night in Spooner, but the Wilderness netted a pair of goals in a two-minute span soon after to take the lead for good.
League MVP Byron Katapaytuk led the Lakers offensively with two goals and an assist on Jon Carlson’s power-play marker.
Saturday’s game was a much different affair as the Wilderness cruised to a convincing 5-1 win, outshooting the Lakers by whopping 46-19 margin.
Merritt Rysavy netted the Lakers’ lone goal.
The red-and-white still have a chance to salvage a split when they host the Wilderness this Friday and Saturday at 7:30 in the second leg of the showdown series.
If the Lakers can win that two-game, total-goal affair on home ice, the teams will play a shootout following Saturday’s game to determine the series winner.
The winner earns the right to choose its semi-final opponent.
In other action, the Thunder Bay North Stars hold a 2-0 lead over the Duluth Clydesdales in their best-of-seven quarter-final series.
The Dryden Ice Dogs hold a similar lead over the Sioux Lookout Flyers.
