Staff
After three quiet games, Nick Minerva decided it was time to make some noise.
The defenceman had a goal and two assists—his first three points of the season—to spark the Fort Frances Lakers to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Minnesota Iron Rangers on Saturday night.
Minerva, who tied for the team lead in scoring by defencemen last year with 26 points in only 39 games, had been kept off the scoresheet in his first four games this season.
But the blueliner was a catalyst for the Lakers’ offence from the outset Saturday—first setting up Christian Ripley’s power-play goal at 4:32 of the first to make it 1-0 for the Lakers (4-1).
Minerva later set up Dylan Kooner at 14:04 of the second to stretch the Lakers’ lead to 3-1.
His master stroke, though, came after Dalton Johnson had pulled the Iron Rangers (5-3) within one early in the third.
During a power play, Minerva hammered his first goal of the season on a set-up from Carter Chorney and Ripley to re-establish the two-gal lead.
Andrew Willner and Chorney (empty-netter) scored the Lakers’ other goals.
Brandon Bodnar made 24 saves to earn the win.
Jackson Bond (power play) had the other goal for the Iron Rangers while Kyle Carignan stopped 39 shots in defeat.
The Lakers next will welcome the Dryden GM Ice Dogs (4-1) to the Ice For Kids Arena tomorrow at 7:30 p.m., with the winner grabbing sole possession of second place.
