Joey Payeur
It’s difficult to decipher which took a harder hit Friday: Jared Virtanen’s shoulder when he landed on the ice or the Fort Frances Lakers’ chances at a fourth-straight SIJHL crown.
The Lakers had their three-game winning streak screech to a halt at the hands of the host Thief River Falls Norskies, who electrified an SIJHL record-setting crowd of 3,045 spectators at the Ralph Engelstad Arena with a 4-1 victory.
But more painful than that was the loss of Virtanen, who leads the Lakers in points and is fourth overall in the league with 74 points, including an SIJHL-best 52 assists.
“He was tripped by [Norskies’ goalie Ryan Buttazzoni] and fell wrong on his arm,” Lakers’ head coach and general manager Wayne Strachan said about his top centre.
“We don’t know the length of time he’ll be out but I am going to say two-four weeks.”
That timeframe makes it questionable whether Virtanen will make it back before the end of the regular season on March 18, let alone what’s looking more and more like a first-round playoff battle against the English River Miners in the 4th place vs. 5th place matchup, with the winner advancing to face the first-place Dryden GM Ice Dogs in the semi-finals.
“We had a goal to get to third place since Jan. 20,” Strachan admitted.
“The loss Friday really hurts in that aspect.
“I think we have to push to keep our goals in mind, but we also have to prepare our game for the playoffs and reality that we may be the fifth seed,” he added.
“The final seven games need to be about us and our game,” Strachan stressed.
“We need to find the work ethic it will take to be the underdogs and find ways to win close hockey games.
“We have to fine-tune the system changes we have made to make us accountable on the ice.
“We need to realize the mentality it will take to win on the road and have success down the stretch into the playoffs–the drive, the urgency, the compete level we will need and keep games simple and safe,” he noted.
“We have no better way to prepare then to finish the season with two against Dryden and three against Thunder Bay,” Strachan remarked.
“I am hoping those games will prepare us for Game 1 wherever it may be.”
The Norskies, meanwhile, continue to defy the odds in their first season of existence–going 8-2 in their last 10 games to sit just one point behind the Thunder Bay North Stars for second place, with a game in hand.
Reily McIntosh put the host squad on the board at 7:35 of the first Friday on a night where the building was jammed thanks to the community turning out in droves to support a cancer fundraiser, with the Norskies wearing special customized jerseys for the event.
“It’s always great to have the motivation of playing in front of a big crowd–it makes the game that much more exciting,” said Strachan.
“The atmosphere is louder, especially when they are rooting for the other team,” he noted.
“It makes the game that much more fun to be a part of.”
Matt Tustin tied the game on the power play at 16:47.
The goal was assisted by defenceman Connor Keith, who returned to the Lakers’ lineup along with forward Austin Petrie.
Keith had been out since Feb. 4 with an upper-body injury while Petrie suited up for the first time since Jan. 11 after sustaining an ankle injury.
Petrie’s return was short-lived, though, as he received a slashing major and game misconduct with one second left in the first period.
“We really didn’t get an opportunity to see much of him through the first,” conceded Strachan.
“What we did see, he [Petrie] was playing hard and intense. But he has to control his emotions, especially with a short bench,” he stressed.
“With Connor, he gets thrown into a tough spot with only five defencemen dressed, but I thought he did a good job, maybe a tad rusty,” Strachan added.
“But for the most part, he played his normal game.”
The turning point came in a 29-second burst about midway through the second period.
Tommy Stang blasted a shot past Jessie Heisz at 11:46 before Dylan Dix added a power-play goal at 12:15 to put the Norskies up 3-1.
“We got caught flat-footed at their blueline, which led to a breakaway, and their second goal was 4-on-4, which gave them some momentum,” Strachan recalled.
“[Dix] came out of the box on the power play, just a routine shot from the point that eluded Heisz.”
Dix netted his second of the game at 16:17 to round out the scoring, with Buttazzoni making 40 stops to earn the win.
“We had a lot of legitimate chances throughout the game,” said Strachan.
“Buttazzoni made some great pad saves in tight and a few with his glove, as well.
“The two differences in the game were they capitalized on their opportunities and we didn’t, and we got out goaltended,” he noted.
Not only was Virtanen knocked out of the game, but forwards Tyler Malpass and Jaden Gustafson both left after taking what Strachan termed “high hits” that are being reviewed by the SIJHL for possible suspensions.
Malpass and Gustafson were being evaluated earlier this week, with their status unknown as of press time.
Forward Dawson Waddell remains out at least another four weeks–and perhaps longer–with his knee injury.
Defenceman Matt Cheetham also missed Friday’s game with a knee ailment and is out indefinitely.
Fellow blueliner Mark Richter may be back this week after taking a hit to the head Feb. 18 against English River.
The Lakers have two golden opportunities to regroup as they head into a two-game set against the last-place Minnesota Iron Rangers that goes tonight and again Friday down in Hoyt Lakes.
The Iron Rangers are mired in a 20-game losing skid after giving up three third-period goals to fall 6-4 to the Miners on Saturday.
The Lakers then return home to face the Ice Dogs this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Ice For Kids Arena.
