Joey Payeur
There’s no place like home to start the regular season.
The Fort Frances Lakers won’t have to worry about bus legs and late-night fast-food suppers in the opening two weeks of the new SIJHL campaign, as indicated by the release of this year’s schedule on Friday, which will see each of the six teams play 56 regular-season games.
General manager and head coach Wayne Strachan will see his three-time defending Bill Salonen Cup champions play their first four and six of their first seven games at the Ice for Kids Arena.
“It’s always nice to be at home, but if I had my preference, I would have liked more of a mixture,” admitted Strachan.
“It is nice to get on the road early and have the players bond on the bus in a team setting,” he continued.
“We will take it as it is and do some other things to try and get that early camaraderie and chemistry between the players.
“I am not sure if it is pressure, but definitely being in your own rink with familiarity and the crowd behind you, we will be looking to carry some tradition on at home and win some hockey games,” acknowledged Strachan.
“As a team, we always have early goals and come Sept. 6 in our first practice, we will set out to work towards obtaining those goals.”
The Lakers will open play Sept. 23 at the IFK Arena in what will be the first regular-season game in franchise history for the expansion Thief River Falls Norskies.
“It is great to have new blood in the league and to play new opponents, so it will be a special night for both teams,” predicted Strachan.
“We will unveil our banners from last year and they break the ice with their first SIJHL regular-season game,” he summarized.
“They have worked hard to get their organization going and I am sure will be a competitive opponent once Sept. 23 rolls around.
“It will be an honour to greet them at our rink for their first game.”
Norskies co-owner and general manager Kevin McCallum is also looking forward to the encounter.
“It’s pretty exciting..We’re going to get to see where we stand right out of the gate,” said McCallum.
“Wayne has a great program going there.”
As if being an expansion team won’t be tough enough to succeed, the Norskies have to play their first eight games on the road before finally getting to be the home team on Oct. 28.
That’s due to the fact the Ralph Englestad Arena in Thief River Falls doesn’t have its ice installed until later in October each year.
“We’re hoping to set an SIJHL attendance record at that first game,” ventured McCallum.
Meanwhile, the last of the opening quartet of home games for the Lakers will be a 1:30 p.m. showdown against the Thunder Bay North Stars in the back half of a weekend doubleheader against the Stars, one of three afternoon tilts for the local favourites this season which is one more than last year.
Other midday clashes for the Lakers will include a Jan. 24 game at 1 p.m. against the Minnesota Iron Rangers on the first of the annual two-day SIJHL Showcase, which will be held for the first time at the Ralph Englestad Arena; and a Family Day meeting on Feb. 20 at 2:30 p.m. with Thunder Bay at the IFK Arena.
“In the last few years, we have always played the afternoon games at the Showcase,” pointed out Strachan.
“To be honest, I do not mind them..I think the players realize how important every game is and adjust their mindsets to help them focus on when to be prepared and ready for game times,” he analyzed.
“We change our routines a little on those days, but for the most part, it’s business as usual,
“Plus, it prepares you for tournament play if you are able to have that success at the end of the year.”
Fort Frances will avoid visitor dressing rooms until Oct. 8, when they journey to Hoyt Falls, Mn., to take on the Iron Rangers.
It will be another 10 days after that before their second road trip, when they venture to Ear Falls to take on the English River Miners on Oct. 18.
The Lakers won’t play their victim in the last two SIJHL finals, the Dryden GM Ice Dogs, until Oct. 29 at the IFK Arena.
“Knowing that they have a strong team most years, it gives us a chance to prepare for them, I guess,” stated Strachan.
“It is what it is. We will go about our business the first month and a bit and prepare for what I am sure will be a barnburner Saturday the 29th at home,” he continued, noting the teams would have met two times before Oct. 29 originally before alterations in the schedule moved the game back.
Those same squads will end each other’s regular seasons with a home-and-home series, as the Fort goes to Dryden on March 17 and then entertains the Ice Dogs on March 18.
The SIJHL will shut down for Christmas and New Year’s holidays after its game on Dec. 18 and won’t restart until Jan. 3 when Minnesota is here to face the Fort.
Training camp for the Lakers goes from Sept. 1-3.
In other league news, Strachan will match wits with a new foe behind the Minnesota bench this season, as the Iron Rangers announced the resignation of general manager and head coach Chris Walby last Wednesday (July 27).
Walby had an overall record of 113-93-2-16 in four seasons with Minnesota, which made the Lakers go the distance in the 2014 league final before succumbing 3-2 in Game 7.
Last season, the Iron Rangers finished fourth in the regular season with a mark of 21-32-2-2 for 46 points, then were upset in five games in the SIJHL ‘Survivor Series’ against fifth-place English River.
“Obviously, I hate to see him leave,” said Strachan.
“He is a great guy with a good personality and worked hard for the Rangers and the SIJHL,” continued the bench boss.
“I don’t know the entire story, but have spoken with him a few times about how he felt about a few different topics and in the end, he made a decision he feels is the best for him.
“I wish he wasn’t leaving,” declared Strachan.
“We had a fair number of dealings with one another through the years. His teams are always competitive and it was always good to chat with him during the year,” added the Lakers’ head honcho.
“I wish him the best and hope to see him back in some capacity in the SIJHL some day.”
The Iron Rangers said in a statement they expect to name a new general manager and head coach in the upcoming days.
