Joey Payeur
Bowen Alcock is fast getting a reputation for good timing.
Alcock made it two game-winning goals in a row as his marker with 11.8 seconds left in regulation time gave the Fort Frances Lakers a 5-4 win over the Dryden GM Ice Dogs here Tuesday night.
After netting the decisive marker three nights earlier with less than three minutes to go against the English River Miners, Alcock jumped all over a feed from Carter Chorney to rip the puck past Ice Dogs’ goalie Tate Sproxton to put an important two points in the bank for the Lakers (9-3-1).
“You just have to work hard and go to the dirty areas,” noted Alcock.
“We got the puck in deep and kept the forecheck simple,” he added.
“Props to Chorney for finding me in front.”
The Lakers won their second-straight game against the plucky Ice Dogs (5-5-2), who only had 13 skaters due to eight players being on the injury list.
“If we’ve got the 20 skaters and they’ve got the 13, the roles are probably reversed,” said Ice Dogs’ head coach Kurt Walsten, whose team held leads of 1-0, 3-1, and 4-3.
Lakers’ head coach and general manager Wayne Strachan was pleased with his team’s determination, especially on the last shift—even though he never saw the puck go in.
“I saw Alex [Rezansoff] without his neckguard and was wondering if the referee was going to call a penalty on it,” chuckled Strachan.
“I was trying to call out to him and all of a sudden, I looked and Bowen had already slammed the puck through the net.”
The Lakers prevailed despite another sub-par goaltending effort from Devin Tappenden, who was pulled at 9:59 of the second after Joel Zieroth’s low shot from 30 feet out beat him to make it 3-1 for the visitors.
“It’s become a topic of conversation in the office far too often,” admitted Strachan, who put his netminding tandem of Tappenden and Ryan Ferguson on notice.
“I’ve tried to be as diplomatic as possible about it, but we’re definitely in search of someone we can rely on night after night,” he said tersely.
Strachan also promised some possible changes on defence before the team’s next outing.
“Is it an easy search?” he asked. “No, but we have need to do what we have to to improve the club.”
Tappenden is only 4-3 this season, with a 3.60 GAA and an .895 save percentage, while Ferguson is 5-1 with a 3.94 GAA and .891 save percentage.
Rezansoff (power play) and Mason Meyer each had a goal and an assist for the Lakers while Wyatt Cota and Miles Nolan (power play) added singles.
Sam Schultz chipped in with two assists.
Cole Golka scored his SIJHL-best 12th of the season for Dryden, with Jonathan Philley and Josh Brunton (power play) also tallying.
In related news, Lakers’ defenceman Max Kaercher (shoulder) has been cleared to start skating with the team again, although Strachan listed his status as week-to-week.
Strachan also provide an update on forward Brent Aiken, who was re-acquired by the team earlier this fall following a great post-season run last year but has yet to report.
“Brent’s in school right now and we’re in talks with him about a couple of scenarios,” Strachan explained.
“Nothing’s in concrete for him to join the team in the near future, but possibly somewhere further down the line.”
The Lakers are back in action tomorrow night when they head to Hoyt Lakes to take on the Minnesota Iron Rangers (6-3-1), who swept Fort Frances in a home-and-home series last week.
Forward Colton Spicer, who leads the SIJHL in assists (12) and points (19), is expected back in the lineup after finishing his three-game suspension for a hit to the head infraction against Minnesota back on Oct. 14.
The Lakers then will host the Ice Dogs again Saturday night when Dryden makes a second-straight visit to the Ice For Kids Arena.
