SUPERIOR INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
SIJHL COMMUNICATIONS
MEDIA UPDATE
Release Date: Friday, Jan. 31, 2014
3-point night for Debenedet as Lakers drop North Stars 4-1
FORT FRANCES, Ont. – The Superior International Junior Hockey League’s leading point producer in Fort Frances Lakers forward Lucas Debenedet scored once and set-up two others to help lead his side past the visiting Thunder Bay North Stars 4-1 Friday evening at Ice for Kids Arena.
The game was scoreless until the 16:04 mark of the opening period when Bryce Lipinski notched his 16th goal of the season to put the home side up one after 20 minutes.
Fort Frances extended their cushion at 16:21 of the middle session thanks to Lyndon Lipinski with what turned out to be the eventual game-winning goal.
After Debenedet made it 3-0 via the power play at 6:36 of the third, he then fed Lyndon Lipinski for his second of the night at 11:25 to put the Lakers up four.
Daniel Del Paggio would dash Devin Tappenden’s shutout bid 28 seconds later for Thunder Bay’s lone marker of the night while also extending an impressive consecutive game point streak to 21 straight outings.
Debenedet now has a league-high 85 points on the season and leads the way in goals and assists with 38 and 47 respectively and sits second in point-per-game average at 1.98 behind Del Paggio’s 2.14 with 77 in 36 contests.
Tappenden finished by picking up the win making 29 stops on the evening.
Nathanial Dupuis turned aside 31 of 35 shots fired his way in a losing cause.
With the triumph league-leading Fort Frances improved to 34-6-1-2 while the second place North Stars slipped to 28-8-1-4.
SIJHL action resumes Saturday as the Lakers host the English River Miners in a 7:30 p.m. back at Ice for Kids Arena.