Joey Payeur
Wayne Strachan will be checking this week to see if the SIJHL can make theme days a regular part of the Fort Frances Lakers’ schedule because they seem to be responding well to them.
The head coach and general manager of the three-time defending league champs entered the weekend with his team on a season-high six-game losing skid.
But a 5-3 win over the English River Miners on Saturday during “Hockey Day in Canada” in Kenora, followed by a 3-2 overtime victory over the Thunder Bay North Stars here on Family Day (Monday), had Strachan in a much better mood.
“Both were character wins,” said Strachan, whose team came back in the third period in both games to get the victories.
“Being down Saturday going into the third period, the guys stuck with it and worked hard to earn the victory,” he noted.
“As for [Monday], being down one to the Stars a week or so ago, the bench might have caved in and gave up,” Strachan admitted.
“It was a good sign of what happens when you work hard and stay positive, put pucks at the net, and send a lot of bodies at the net.”
The Kenora Recreation Centre was jammed to the rafters with 2,050 spectators on hand mostly to see “Hockey Night in Canada” celebrities Ron McLean and Don Cherry, who did their weekly “Coach’s Corner” segment at the arena as part of the “Hockey Day” festivities.
Brandon Zajicek then earned himself some national exposure with his game-opening goal for the Lakers at 8:27 of the first, which McLean showed a clip of on “Coach’s Corner” while talking about the game.
Kaden Hintz tied it 33 seconds later before Jared Virtanen and Zac Schlitt exchanged goals later in the period.
Jamie Driedger’s short-handed marker with 57 seconds left in the second had the fourth-place Miners (24-20-1-3) in good position entering the third.
Brett Pickler had other ideas.
The 18-year-old forward from Villa Park, Calif., with just three goals in 15 games before Saturday since joining the Lakers, turned into a one-man gang over the final 20 minutes.
Pickler tied the game at 10:23, then put the Lakers in front with only 1:43 left on a set-up from Jaden Gustafson.
The icing on the cake came with 18 seconds left as Pickler drilled an empty-netter for a natural hat trick.
Brandon Bodnar improved to 8-9-0-1 by making 25 saves while Michael Lenko had 34 in a losing cause.
Dylan Kooner then got the Lakers off on the right foot Monday against second-place Thunder Bay (27-14-5-0).
Virtanen appeared to be going around the net with the puck, but instead delivered a no-look backhand centering pass which Kooner cranked top shelf on North Stars’ goalie Jordan Elliott at 5:35 of the first.
Tyler Minoletti evened the contest with a strange goal as his shot from almost the corner of the rink hit a Laker in front and changed direction to elude netminder Jessie Heisz.
After a scoreless second period, the game remained up for grabs starting the third.
Jake Robinson gave the North Stars their only lead at 8:36 on a 2-on-2 rush with Jonathon Masters, whose cross-ice feed was wired by Robinson past Heisz stick-side.
With the Lakers hitting three posts and two crossbars in the game, it didn’t seem to be the home team’s night until Zajicek changed the momentum at 14:43.
Grabbing the puck at centre, Zajicek bolted up the left wing and wheeled around two defenders.
At the last second, he sent the puck across the crease to an oncoming Julian Uhryniuk, who was able to lift it past Elliott.
Uhryniuk’s speed paid more dividends in overtime as he would have broke in alone on Elliott had it not been for Robinson’s holding penalty against him.
On the ensuing 4-on-3 power play, the Lakers worked the puck around until Virtanen hammered a shot from the left circle.
Elliott made the stop but the puck turned into a jump ball as it went straight up.
Pickler had the hand-eye co-ordination to bat the puck off the chest of Masters and then off Elliott before it just trickled over the goal line at the 4:04 mark.
“The last four games, we’ve tried to work Brett into different situations to get him a little more ice time,” Strachan said about Pickler’s ever-increasing role.
“We think he has earned it with his hard work,” he noted. “He plays a blue-collar game and is not afraid to go to the net.
“He gives us something on our power play that we’ve been lacking and he’s willing to pay the price,” lauded Strachan.
“It’s a tribute to his work ethic, and the rest of the guys can look at him and see why he’s out there and hopefully it will make them raise their level, too.”
The Lakers’ resurgence comes despite still having a sizeable injured list.
Dawson Waddell is in the most dire of straits after the forward hurt his knee here last Tuesday against English River, with the possibility he could miss the next four-six weeks.
Forward Austin Petrie started skating on his own while recovering from his ankle injury and should start practising with the team this week, although his return date remains uncertain.
Defenceman Connor Keith (concussion) hopes to be back by next week while blueliner Mark Richter is on the shelf indefinitely after leaving Saturday’s game following a hit to the head.
The Lakers were in Thunder Bay last night for the back half of the home-and-home series with the North Stars (the outcome was unavailable at press time).
That kicked off a four-game road trip that continues Friday against the third-place Thief River Falls Norskies (25-16-2-3).
The Lakers won’t play at home again until March 4 against the Dryden GM Ice Dogs (38-7-4), who clinched first place this past week.
