SUPERIOR INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
SIJHL COMMUNICATIONS
MEDIA RELEASE
Release Date: Thursday, March 21, 2013
Fort Frances Lakers – Dryden Ice Dogs semifinal preview
THUNDER BAY, Ont. – Familiar postseason foes, the Fort Frances Lakers and the Dryden Ice Dogs, take to the ice tonight at 8 p.m. in game 1 of their Superior International Junior Hockey League semifinal series at Ice For Kids Arena in Fort Frances.
The following is a preview of the series between the long-time rivals:
Series schedule
Game 1: Tonight @ Fort Frances 8 p.m.
Game 2: Friday, March 22 @ Fort Frances 7:30 p.m.
Game 3: Monday, March 25 @ Dryden 7:30 p.m.
Game 4: Tuesday, March 26 @ Dryden 7:30 p.m.
Game 5*: Thursday, March 28 @ Fort Frances 7:30 p.m.
Game 6*: Monday, April 1 @ Dryden 7:30 p.m.
Game 7*: Tuesday, April 2 @ Fort Frances 7:30 p.m.
*-If necessary
The two sides met a total of 15 times during the course of the regular season with the Lakers registering a 9-4-2 overall record vs. the Ice Dogs, including winning the last seven meetings between the two sides.
In the overall standings Fort Frances finished in second spot with 73 points on a 35-18-1-0 record.
Dryden meanwhile ended up in third place picking up 59 points on a 28-25-0-2 mark.
This will mark the fourth consecutive year the Lakers and Ice Dogs have met in the league semifinals with Dryden coming away victorious in 2010 and 2011 while Fort Frances won the series a year ago.
Prior to the Lakers arrival, the Borderland Thunder called Fort Frances home during the first four years of the SIJHL.
Borderland took on Dryden, an original member of the league, four times in playoff competition with each side coming out on top twice.
Including the postseason games against the Thunder, here is how the previous seven playoff meetings between Dryden and Fort Frances-based teams have gone.
YEAR ROUND WINNER (All best-of-seven series)
2012 Semifinal Lakers 4-0
2011 Semifinal Ice Dogs 4-2
2010 Semifinal Ice Dogs 4-2
2005 Semifinal Thunder 4-0
2004 Semifinal Ice Dogs 4-3
2003 Semifinal Thunder 4-0
2002 Final Ice Dogs 4-0
In 2012-13, leading the Lakers offensively were the trio of Jordan Christianson, Colton Spicer and Merritt Rysavy.
Christianson topped Fort Frances in points with 71, which was third best in the entire SIJHL.
Spicer was next on the squad and tied for seventh in the league with 56 points while Rysavy, the Lakers captain, finished third in team offensive production with 48 points. That had him 11 overall in the SIJHL.
As for Dryden, pacing them were Chris Belhumeur, Tyson Holder and Jesse Linner who picked up 66, 54 and 45 points respectively. Belhumeur was fourth overall in the SIJHL, Holder ninth and Linner 13th.
Defensively veteran D-man Len Pelletier helps anchor Dryden’s defensive corps while the likes of Owen Stauber and Jon Carlson do likewise for the Lakers.
In net Eric Szymczyk has seen the bulk of the workload between the pipes for the Ice Dogs.
He ranked in the top five in nearly every goaltending statistical category for Dryden including leading the way in both minutes played (2,489) and saves. (1296)
It was Talor Joseph who saw most of the playing time for the Lakers in net the last couple months of the season as he posted a 10-2 record with a 2.72 goals-against average and .913 save percentage.
The winner of this series will take on either the Minnesota Wilderness or the Minnesota Iron Rangers in the SIJHL’s Bill Salonen Cup final.
The league champion will then advance to the Dudley-Hewitt Cup Central Jr. A event April 30 through May 4 in North Bay, Ont.