Lucas Punkari
The Fort Frances Lakers used their home-ice advantage to the fullest at the Ice for Kids Arena on Friday night, as they took a 2-0 series lead in their best-of-seven SIJHL semi-final series after a 3-2 win over the Dryden Ice Dogs.
“We all knew going in here that we needed to protect home ice, and we knew tonight [Friday] that they weren’t going to roll over and let us take a 2-0 lead on them,” Lakers forward Tyler Brodersen said.
“We stuck to the game plan again, and we got a couple of nice bounces on the power-play, so it worked out well for us,” he added.
Friday’s contest was a much tighter affair than Thursday’s 6-1 romp for the Lakers, which made for a far more interesting battle to watch from behind the bench for head coach and general manager Wayne Strachan.
“It was a very exciting game, especially compared to the first game,” Strachan said.
“Both teams had their chances, and they were in each other’s faces playing playoff hockey, and that is what everyone wants to see at this time of year,” he added.
Owen Stauber led the way on offence with a pair of assists, as teammates Davis Smith, Alex Bruess and Brodersen all found the back of the net during the contest.
At the other end of the ice, Talor Joseph was stellar once again as he turned aside 28 shots to earn his second win of the post-season.
“Obviously I wasn’t too happy about giving up my shutout right at the end there,” Joseph conceded.
“But overall, I felt I played really well as I was able to keep my head in the game and I was able to say as focussed as possible,” he added.
Jesse Linner and Austin Lewis both scored for the Ice Dogs in the final seconds of the game, which is something that head coach Paul McLean believes will help them out heading into tonight’s contest in Dryden at 7:30 p.m.
“We made it close and the guys didn’t quit out there, and to only lose by a goal is a lot better than losing by three or four goals,” he stressed.
“I believe that these teams are very equal, and if we are able to tie the series up at home and come back here on Thursday for Game 5, I think it should be a very good matchup,” McLean added.
The fourth game in the series will take place on Tuesday in Dryden, while a fifth game, if needed, will be held at the Ice for Kids Arena on Thursday evening.
On the health front, the Lakers will be without the services of defender Simon Desrosiers for at least a week, after he was diagnosed with a concussion on Friday after he was involved in a collision during the second period of Thursday’s triumph.
In the other SIJHL semi-final series, the top-seeded Minnesota Wilderness hold a 2-0 lead over the Minnesota Iron Rangers heading into Game 3 tomorrow in Hoyt Lakes.
