The Fort Frances Lakers are seven points ahead of the Red Lake Miners in the SIJHL standings and two players were named in the league’s three stars again as they took on second overall Sioux Lookout Bombers last weekend.
The Lakers jumped out to a two-goal lead in the first period Friday on goals from Evan Kabel and Brady Krentz, and finished the first period up 3-1 with a goal by each team in the last minute of the period.
Lakers forward Noah McPherson scored in the second followed by a Sioux Lookout goal before the end of the frame for a 4-2 Lakers lead.
Things looked a bit bleak when the Bombers tied it up with two quick goals in the second half of the third period but Ian Ness played the hero, potting a feed from Pierce Gouin with just over 90 seconds to go.
Saturday’s game was a back and forth affair that saw the Lakers come out on top in overtime.
The Bombers took an early lead in the fourth minute but just four minutes later Ian Ness tied it up.
The Lakers took the lead in the second when Jack Wood potted a feed from Ian Snook after a battle behind the net. The lead was extended to two when Krentz blasted home his 13th goal of the year on the powerplay. The Bombers would add one before the end of the frame for a 3-2 Lakers lead going into the third.
The Lakers struggled on offense in the third and had trouble effectively clearing the defensive zone, with their net empty and an extra man on the ice the Bombers tied the game with 21 seconds remaining forcing the game to overtime.
The teams traded scoring opportunities in the extra period but it was Ian Ness on a feed from Gavin Simon who had the final say completing a passing play to give the Lakers the victory and the weekend sweep.
Nolan Koethler started and won back to back games for the Lakers stopping 43 out of 47 shots on Friday and 36 out of 39 shots on Saturday.
After Saturday’s game head coach Tyler Miller praised the coaching staff as well as the leadership in the locker room.
“We’ve been playing good hockey for about a month now,” Miller said. “We’re buying in and our coaching staff is doing a great job on our systems. And you know what, we’ve got good leadership in there. That’s what it takes to get to the next level. Coaches coach but the guys in the room take over and buy in and that’s how it goes.”
Of the team’s bounce back in OT after the late goal on Saturday Miller said that some teams are able to come back from late tying goals and some aren’t.
“You just bear down, and figure it out,” Miller said. “Some teams find a way, some don’t. That’s something we’re gonna work on. I think we’ve had four or five ties that it has come down to a couple of seconds. But, you know, finding the way is the leadership.”
Miller credited the leaders in Ness and Simon for finishing the game off.
“We’ve got two 20 year olds attacking the net, great pass over, great goal ending the game,” Miller said. “We’re very happy with that, and we’re happy with the team, but we’re just going to keep trucking, keeping the coaching staff and our leadership on the same page. And good things happen.”
On Monday the SIJHL named Brady Krentz first star for week 12 with Ian Ness following at third star. Kam River’s Daxton Lang was the second star.
Krentz scored five goals and one assist over three games last week, including the Tuesday afternoon matchup in Kenora. Ness had three goals and two assists for five points over the same period.
