Lucas Punkari
It will be a winner-take-all showdown at the Ice For Kids Arena here tonight as the Fort Frances Lakers and Dryden Ice Dogs clash in the seventh and deciding game of their spirited semi-final series.
The Lakers staved off elimination last night with a 4-1 win in Dryden to even the series at 3-3.
“We knew that we needed to jump on them right from the drop of the puck,” said Lakers’ head coach and general manager Wayne Strachan.
“It was our goal to win the first period and put ourselves in a position to have momentum going into the second, and we were able to do that by taking a 1-0 lead,” he noted.
“It set the stage for two better periods as we tightened up in a few areas after the first,” Strachan added.
Looking ahead to tonight’s Game 7, Strachan said the key will be to “stick to our game plan, use our speed, and push the pace.”
“It will be key to have a good start and believe in our chances at home as we worked all season to have this opportunity,” he reasoned.
“Anything can happen in a one-game showdown, so we just need to play our game,” he stressed.
Jordan Christianson scored a pair of third-period goals last night, including an empty-netter with just one second on the clock, to force Game 7.
Mason Meyer and Kevin Kurm also scored for the Lakers while Talor Joseph turned aside 29 shots to earn the win.
Tyson Holder netted the lone goal for the Ice Dogs.
Tonight’s winner will advance to the SIJHL final to face the Minnesota Wilderness, who have won the last two Bill Salonen Cups.
The dates and times for that series have yet to be determined.
