With a pair of wins last weekend in Wisconsin, the Fort Frances Lakers are looking to go into the playoffs with momentum this weekend against the hot Sioux Lookout Bombers.
Lakers head coach Tyler Miller was on vacation with his family but was watching the games, and was encouraged by what he saw.
“It’s good to have momentum right before the playoffs start so we’re happy with the direction we’ve been going,” Miller said. “It’s best of seven, you’ve gotta win four and the momentum hopefully helps us but playoff hockey is different and it’s the mental aspect of it right now, we’re mentally preparing for the playoffs.”
The Lakers come up against the second overall Bombers who have three former Lakers players in Trever Sanderson, Cobe Delaney and former captain Josh Greene. The Bombers are coming into the playoffs with no losses in the month of March including a pair of wins over the Lakers.
“They’ve got an offensive threat there. They’ve got their first line of Riffel, (Connor) Burke and (Blake) Burke and then two guys we traded, 20 year olds that wanted a different look at the time, in Cobe Delaney and (Trever) Sanderson, they have another guy playing between them, they just bring that offensive threat and defensively they’re very sound.”
Miller says they feel that they’ve had a chance in many of the games they’ve played against Sioux Lookout.
“I was just going through our information and we’ve played them seven times, three games we lost by one goal. One game we beat them and the other three was in our hands, we weren’t as mentally ready to go and we dropped the ball on those ones. That’s the difference with a young team, it’s more mental preparation than anything.”
One of the issues that has plagued the Lakers throughout this season was discipline. The Lakers were third in the league with over 1,000 penalty minutes on the season. While the Bombers had 300 fewer penalty minutes and the fewest in the league.
“We kind of started nipping that in the bud in November December,” Miller said “We kind of went through the penalty minutes and we have a great coaching staff with all of us on the same page and some guys can pick up something another guy doesn’t. Penalties were identified and we’ve lowered that number.”
Miller says he feels like when the team has fewer penalties without officials controlling the game the team plays better. Whether it’s the officials calling fewer penalties or the team having better discipline.
“When the refs put the whistles away and let the teams play we have a way better advantage,” Miller said. “It’s on the players to be disciplined too, with your sticks, disciplined throughout the game.”
One point of emphasis the coaches have put towards discipline is on the backcheck.
“If you’re backchecking you don’t need to be hooking like the 90s or early 2000s any more,” Miller said. “Use your legs and catch up to him, don’t give the ref a reason to call a penalty at all. When we’re disciplined, under three to four penalties a game, we’re successful, we’re in the hockey games.”
Miller says he’s excited for the playoffs, that the team has been improving and they thing they can give Sioux Lookout a run for their money.
“We definitely want to send a message in the playoffs, we’re going to try to make it a series and it’s going to come down to one game, game seven hopefully, ” Miller said. “Anything can happen in playoff hockey. You get the bounces your way sometimes and or not your way, but you just gotta battle through it and be ready to go every single night. It’s best of seven and you’ve gotta win four.”
The Lakers start the playoffs this Friday away in Sioux Lookout with game two coming Saturday night. The series shifts to Ice For Kids Arena in Fort Frances on Tuesday and Wednesday. Puck drop is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. for all games.
