Jamie Mountain
The Fort Frances Lakers got through a season-worst slump and are starting to play some of their best hockey of the year lately.
Ben Hoefler’s goal just over eight minutes into the third period proved to be the game-winner as the Lakers skated to their third win in a row with a 5-3 victory over the scuttling Thunder Bay North Stars on Friday night at the Ice For Kids Arena.
The Lakers have also seen their record climb back to .500 at 10-10-1 with their recent success.
“I think we got back to working hard,” Lakers’ head coach and general manager Wayne Strachan said after Friday’s win at home.
“You know through the latter part of the slump or the losing streak we had a lot of guys out sick, missing practice. We had a lot of games every second day, so we couldn’t really practice our systems the way we needed to.
“We couldn’t really amp up practice the way we needed to,” he conceded.
“Since then we’ve only played three games, I guess, in the last two weeks and practice has been better, a lot more intensity. Even the coaching staff has pushed them to make sure we’re working hard,” he stressed.
“We’ve done a lot of little skill things, whether it’s defence-wise or breakout-wise, getting pucks to the net. But I just think overall that hard work’s back, we’re playing with purpose again in our game and right now we’re showing some resilience.”
After a scoreless first period, Nakoda Thunderchief opened the scoring for Fort Frances 3:21 into the second of Friday’s game as he snapped a shot high past Thunder Bay goalie Jordan Smith from the left side for his first SIJHL goal.
But Michael Vecchio tied it for the North Stars (14-5-2) just moments later as roofed one off the crossbar and over Lakers’ goalie Alex Bugeja to knot it at 1-1.
After Alex Erwin finished off a lengthy rush from Jacob Anttonen to give the visitors their first lead, Flynn Perry notched the equalizer at 17:39 to knot it at 2-2 after 40 minutes.
“They go up on us, we could have easily maybe folded the tent but we stayed with it, we stayed calm and waited for our opportunities to take advantage of em,” Strachan lauded.
An early power play helped the North Stars regain the lead in the third as Cody Bruchkowski collected his league-leading 17th tally.
But battling back, Fort Frances drew even near the seven-minute mark of the frame when local forward Cooper Witherspoon neatly deflected a Perry attempt heading towards the net for his first SIJHL marker.
“It was obviously nice to get the first one,” said Witherspoon said of potting his first SIJHl goal.
“All we can do is build off this. We’re on a three-game win streak here, so all we can do is look up. We’re coming together stronger, faster, better as a team.”
The Lakers then got the game-winner from Hoefler just past the eight-minute mark as he got enough of a right point shot from MacKenzie Flett to change the puck’s course and it found its way in past Smith.
Flett secured the home win for the Lakers as he salted the game away with a long-range empty-netter with 56 seconds left to round out the scoring.
Bugeja made 33 saves to earn the win while Smith faced 35 attempts in defeat for the league-leading North Stars, who have now dropped five straight.
“I think that we’re a team that needs everybody contributing in some way and obviously the more contribution we get offensive-wise from our entire lineup that’s dressed on that night is a benefit for us,” Strachan remarked.
“Cooper is a guy who offence has been his game, the puck follows him. He’s been a little bit snakebitten and, you know, he scores a nice goal to tie it up.
“He’s a player that’s only gotten better throughout the games since he’s joined us and has been healthy,” he lauded.
“I think you’re only seeing what he’s capable of doing and maybe this goal gets him going and some more will come now. A little like Tyler Malpass, he scores the other night and he’s kind of been on a little bit of a hot streak.
“With Nakoda, he’s kind of a sandpaper type player,” Strachan added of Thunderchief.
“He plays with a grit, finishes checks and he’s got sneaky skill that he can create offensive opportunities. Even last game, he had some good opportunities to get pucks to the net and tonight he capitalizes and scores his first junior ‘A’ goal. So I congratulate both of them.”
The fifth-place Lakers will resume action on Saturday night when they battle the third-place host Thief River Falls Norskies (11-8-2) at the Ralph Engelstad Arena.
It’s the lone game of the week for Fort Frances and Strachan is hopeful his squad will carry the positives of their recent games into Saturday’s contest.
“We’ve had the mentality of playing a little bit desperate, with urgency, and doing whatever it takes to have success on that given night. If we can stay with that mentality and buy into it and believe that we can go out there and play our game and have success, I think that’s what we need,” he reasoned.
“Through the last three games we’ve had a little saying, it goes along with playing desperate, and the guys have bought into it and it’s good to see that we’re rallying around that.
“They believe in themselves in that room and I don’t think we had that belief maybe two weeks ago,” Strachan admitted.
“But they’ve found that work ethic again and they’re believing in themselves.”
