THUNDER BAY – Someone’s going to be the victim when the Fort Frances Lakers get their first win.
Judging by their play this weekend at Fort William Gardens, that time’s going to come sooner, rather than later.
However, the Thunder Bay North Stars weren’t quite ready to become the first notch in the Lakers winning belt, downing them 5-2 on Saturday afternoon to extend Fort Frances’ season-opening losing streak to nine.
For the second straight outing, Clark Scaddan opened the scoring, giving the Lakers an early first-period advantage. But for the second straight night the North Stars, a team that also hasn’t played up to expectations to open the 2023-24 Superior International Junior Hockey League campaign, dug a little deeper as the game went on and pulled out the narrow win.
Luckily for the Stars, the Lakers don’t have much experience playing with the lead. In fact, they hadn’t been in front at any point in any of their first seven outings, Scaddan’s Friday night marker giving them their first lead all season long.
Still, if the North Stars (5-4-0) want to be taken seriously as a contender, alongside Dryden, Sioux Lookout and Kam River, they’re going to have to play better hockey, especially against the likes of the Lakers, a team that shouldn’t taken for granted, given how hungry they are to put that first win of the season on the board.
“Our starts have been a little bit of a problem here. It’s something we need to work on, obviously. We’re going to work hard at practice and hopefully next week we can get the starts that we need and get a few points,” said forward Tyler Jordan, who evened things up with a quick wrist shot from the slot with 3:08 to go in the first and provided what later proved to be the game-winning goal 16 seconds into the third, racing down the right side and firing another blast past Lakers goaltender Jack Orchard.
He completed his first SIJHL hat trick with 6:47 to go in the third, providing an insurance marker for the second time in the matinee affair, and added an assist on Cohen Tangedal’s goal late in the final stanza.
The three-goal effort boosted the St. Michael, Minn. native’s total to four on the season, a goal-a-game pace after being acquired earlier this month from the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Steinbach Pistons.
“It started off a little rough for me. I got a 10-minute misconduct to start the game, but I’m glad that I could help the team come the end of the game and it was a good team win overall,” Jordan said.
North Stars coach Rob DeGagne said offence was exactly why he decided to bring Jordan onto the roster.
“It was his offensive side of play,” DeGagne said. “We needed some guys who could put the puck in the net. When I talked to (coach) Paul (Dyck) in Steinbach, he said he might have a guy that could fit that mold, and he’s come in and scored some goals for us. That’s his M.O. He’s a goal scorer and he can put the puck in the net.
“When he got the chances, he drove and went to the net and he got three goals – and two really nice ones tonight.”
Brady Kentz scored the Lakers other goal, going short-side on Keegan Marks on the power play 6:36 into the third, cutting the Thunder Bay lead to 302 a the time.
Connor O’Brien had the North Stars opening goal, a blistering shot from just inside the Fort Frances zone that Orchard couldn’t handle.
Orchard made 31 saves for Fort Frances, while Marks stopped 31 shots in the North Stars net.
The Stars host Sioux Lookout next Friday and Saturday night at the Gardens, while Fort Frances welcomes Kenora to Ice for Kids Arena.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. Fort Frances, Scaddan 2 (Krentz) 4:03. 2. Thunder Bay, Jordan (unassisted) 16:52. Penalties: Jordan TB (misconduct) 0:00, Doherty TB (interference) 6:16, Wood FFL (hooking) 11:35, Scaddan FFL (roughing) 19:38.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 3. Thunder Bay, O’Brien 3 (Weeks) 9:13. Penalties: Trahiotis TB (slashing) 4:59, McPherson (slashing) 8:37.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 4. Thunder Bay, Jordan 3 (Tangedal) 0:16. 5. Fort Frances, Krentz (unassisted) 6:36 pp. 6. Thunder Bay, Jordan 4 (unassisted) 13:13. 7. Thunder Bay, Tangedal (Trahiotis, Jordan) 16:29. Penalties: Scaddan FFL (slashing), Skillestad TB (cross checking) 4:51, Jordan TB (slashing) 5:42, Skillestad TB (cross checking, unsportsmanlike conduct) 8:30,
GAME DATA – SOG – Fort Frances 16-8-9-33, Thunder Bay 16-10-10-36; Power plays (goals-chances) – Fort Frances (1-4), Thunder Bay (1-3); Goaltenders – Fort Frances: Jack Orchard, Thunder Bay: Keenan Marks; A: 341.
