Mitch Calvert
The Fort Frances Jr. Sabres got a lesson in discipline here over the weekend.
The SIJHL-leading Fort William North Stars (36-6-4) scored five power-play goals to swept the two-game series by scores of 6-3 and 5-2.
The Sabres (27-17-3) got a goal from Brendan Baumgartner to lead Friday night’s game 1-0 after one period, but the parade to the penalty box began in the second and by the time the dust had settled, the Stars had scored four unanswered markers to grab a commanding 4-1 lead.
“The first period was a good hockey game with two teams going at it the way hockey should be played,” Sabres’ head coach Wayne Strachan said.
“Then the game was taken into the hands of the referee and all the flow was taken away.”
Baumgartner and Chris Sinclair scored in the third period, but Trevor Gamache replied with a power-play tally before Joel Langevin iced it with his third of the game into an empty net.
Devlin native Jordan Davis and Michael MacDonald added singles for the Stars.
Then Saturday night’s undoing for the Sabres was a lacklustre first period that had them facing a 3-0 deficit after 20 minutes.
“We didn’t have any effort in the first period. It was a bad effort on all parts and we gave them a three-goal lead,” Strachan remarked.
“Five on five, when we battle and compete, we can play with everyone, but if we are not going to work and play good defence, it is going to make for a long couple of weeks,” he warned.
Davis opened the onslaught with a pinpoint pass onto the stick of Mitch Forbes in the slot, and he made no mistake for a 1-0 lead.
Kelin Ainsworth added to the lead when Langevin spotted him alone in front from the corner, then Mike Salter pounced on a juicy rebound off a point shot to wrap up the first-period scoring spree.
The Sabres came out hard in the second and were rewarded when Kalib Thunderchief scored his third of the season at the tail end of a hard-working shift.
Cody Fraser got that one back before the end of the period, however, then Baumgartner and Gamache traded goals in the third to round out the scoring.
The Sabres host the Sioux Lookout Flyers tomorrow night, then the Schreiber Diesels come to town for a pair of games Thursday and Friday to wrap up the regular season.
The Sabres now hold just a two-point advantage on the Diesels for third place in the SIJHL standings—with those last two games deciding who faces the Flyers in the opening round of the playoffs.
When the playoffs get underway next week, third-place faces off with sixth while the fourth- and fifth-place finishers square off in the other quarter-final.
The top two teams—the North Stars and Thunder Bay Bearcats—have first-round byes.
