Staff
The Fort Frances Lakers returned home from this weekend’s SIJHL “showcase” event in Duluth with mixed results.
After opening with a 3-2 win over the Thunder Bay North Stars on Saturday morning, the squad fell 7-4 to the host Clydesdales yesterday evening.
The Lakers now have dropped three of their last five games after a season-high seven game winning streak came to an end Jan. 14 against the Wisconsin Wilderness.
The Lakers had stormed back from a 2-1 third-period deficit Saturday morning to defeat the North Stars, with Connor Hady netting the game-winning goal on the power play at the 12:41 mark.
Ryan Wildman had a pair of goals for the red-and-white, with fellow forwards Byron Katapaytuk and Jordan Christianson chipping in offensively with two assists each.
Yesterday’s affair with the Clydesdales was tied at 1-1 after the first period, but the Lakers gave up four unanswered goals in the second to trail 5-1.
The Lakers struck back late with three-straight goals late in the frame to cut the deficit back down to a single goal, but the Clydesdales sealed the victory with a pair of third-period markers.
Katapaytuk and Wildman led the way against Duluth, with Katapaytuk scoring two goals and an assisting on another while Wildman had three assists.
Colton Spicer and Jordan Larson also scored in the loss.
The Lakers (28-11-4) remain in second place in the seven-team loop with 60 points—13 up on the third-place Dryden Ice Dogs but 15 back of the league-leading Wilderness, who have won 20-straight games and are ranked fourth in the latest CJHL top 20 rankings.
The Lakers and Wilderness will clash this Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in a neutral-site contest in Virginia, Mn.
Following that game, the Lakers will return to the Ice For Kids Arena for a four-game homestand, starting with a visit by the Clydesdales on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
