Joey Payeur
It will be the league’s best team this regular season versus its best player.
The regular-season and defending league champion Fort Frances Lakers will tangle with Cole Golka, this year’s scoring champ, and the Dryden GM Ice Dogs in the best-of-seven SIJHL final, which gets underway tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. at the Ice For Kids Arena here.
Game 2 will follow on Friday at the special start time of 6:30 p.m. (due to final preparations required for the Border Skating Club’s annual ice show this weekend).
The series then shifts to Dryden for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday (April 14-15).
If necessary, Game 5 will be back here on Friday, April 17 at 7:30 p.m., with Game 6 slated for Dryden on Sunday, April 19.
Should the series go the distance, Game 7 is scheduled for here on Tuesday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m.
The Lakers dispatched the Thunder Bay North Stars in five games in their semi-final series while Dryden ousted the Minnesota Iron Rangers, last year’s SIJHL runner-up, in six.
The teams were separated by 23 points in the standings this season, with the Lakers holding a 9-4-0-1 edge in the season series.
But Dryden’s five wins were the most of any team in the league against Fort Frances.
As well, the Ice Dogs and Lakers split their last six head-to-head showdowns, with Dryden winning the last two.
Lakers’ head coach and general manager Wayne Strachan is well aware the four-win road to the Bill Salonen Cup won’t be a walk in the park.
“As I have said, points in the regular season mean nothing now at this time of the season,” he remarked.
“It is all about wins and losses, and in the second half we were even,” he noted.
“We won three and they won three.
“It was an even series and we expect nothing less coming up into the final round,” Strachan reiterated.
“We know it is going to be tough.”
Dryden’s most lethal weapon is Golka, who led the SIJHL in goals (47) and points (89) on the way to capturing the league’s MVP award.
Golka had 12 points in 13 games against the Lakers this season, but was held pointless in five of them.
“He makes players on the ice better, he has great speed, and he creates opportunities because of his speed and offensive awareness,” Strachan said of the 20-year-old forward from Strathcona County, Alta.
“We will need to recognize when he is on the ice and make sure we are playing defence first against him,” he stressed.
“We have to take away his speed by closing the gap and being physical, and we must match his intensity game in [and] game out.”
That doesn’t mean Golka is the only threat to consider, with linemate Jonathan Philley finishing second in the scoring race with 73 points.
“Philley can produce offensively at a great pace but he is a strong 200-foot player and very good on the penalty kill, as well,” noted Strachan.
Then there’s the matter of solving goalie Tate Sproxton, who struggled early in the season against the Lakers but improved significantly as it wore on.
“Sproxton is one of the most constant goalies in the league and has come up big in the second half of the season for them, especially against us,” Strachan said.
“He is focused and at the top of the game right now.”
In terms of special teams, the Lakers drew 84 man-advantage opportunities against the Ice Dogs, compared to only 55 for Dryden.
Strachan wants his team to keep their engine in fourth gear at all times to continue the trend.
“I like our team speed,” he remarked. “It is one of our strengths and, for sure, at times causes other teams to take penalties against us.
“[The Ice Dogs] are a physical team, they play an aggressive system, and we will have to pay the price if we want to have success against them,” Strachan added.
“We need to stay focused and disciplined in our game, and capitalize if we get opportunities in the games.”
The Lakers should enter the series almost at full strength.
Forward Lucas DeBenedet, who was second in team scoring and an MVP finalist for the second-straight year, is expected back after missing the last four games of the Thunder Bay series.
Defenceman Gordon Campbell, who sat out last Thursday’s game after blocking a shot in Game 4, also should be good to go.
That leaves only forward Donovan Cousineau on the sidelines.
The Fort native is now back skating, but still listed as being out indefinitely.
Both Fort Frances and Dryden have guaranteed spots in the Dudley Hewitt Cup, the Central Canadian Junior ‘A’ championship, which will be held here April 28-May 2.
The Lakers are in as the host team, meaning Dryden will advance as the SIJHL rep regardless of the outcome of the final series.
But that doesn’t mean the two teams simply will be going through the motions.
“I believe we are focused,” said Strachan.
“We have a goal to obtain, and I believe we are preparing for that challenge and will be ready come [tomorrow],” he added.
Fort Frances is four wins away from having a team win the SIJHL title in back-to-back seasons for the first time ever—a fact not lost on Strachan.
“It would be an outstanding accomplishment for these young men, especially the players that have returned and worked so hard to have this opportunity again,” he remarked.
“Many players that have played here worked so hard to get our program to what it is now and this team has a chance at something special,” he added.
“These opportunities in sports don’t come around often and we need to be motivated for this challenge.
“For the community that supports us, it just gives back to them for supporting us throughout the year by sponsorship, volunteers, our board members, and our awesome fans, who we hope will be out in abundance to cheer us on at this time of year,” Strachan continued.
“As I say to the team at this time of the season, there is nothing greater in sports than winning a championship together.
“If you look at it, we wouldn’t have this opportunity if it wasn’t for the community,” he stressed.
“We owe this to them. It’s the start of something special.”
As for himself, Strachan said, “To see the team win together would give me nothing but great pleasure.”
“To see them grow and work to achieve what we set out for from Day 1 is what matters to me,” he added.
“And if we hope to have a chance at success, we will need everyone on board.”
