Sabres out to avenge losses

The Fort Frances Jr. Sabres will be looking to avenge a pair of weekend losses to the host Dryden Ice Dogs in a game here tonight that players already are considering a must-win.
“We’re four games into the season and it’s a must-win game already,” said Sabres’ captain Quinn Amiel. “We have to win this one at home just because we have a long, long break.”
After tonight’s tilt, which begins at 7:30 p.m., the Sabres will be inactive until Oct. 5, when they host the Thunder Bay Bearcats.
Amiel said before this morning’s skate that the prospect of facing Dryden three games in a row can be daunting for some of the more inexperienced Sabres.
“For guys that haven’t played at this level before, it could get frustrating. You’re looking at the same guys you’ve lost to two times before,” he noted, adding the key will be to put aside personal rivalries and turn up the on-ice intensity.
He also said the veterans have to lead and “just treat it as another game because if you get worried about [the past two games], your whole game plan goes out the door.”
The Sabres are looking to rebound from 5-1 and 7-3 losses in Dryden on Friday and Saturday, which dropped them to fifth in the standings in their inaugural SIJHL season.
Goalie Ryan Faragher, who started Friday’s game, this morning was pencilled in to be between the pipes tonight. Meanwhile, defenceman MacKenzie York is unlikely to play—still nursing a knee injury.
While the pair of losses were disappointing, the perfect time to turn the series around is at home, Amiel said.
“Oh, most definitely. We know our boards, Dryden’s rink is much smaller than ours. We hope to have an advantage,” he said.