SUPERIOR INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
SIJHL MEDIA UPDATE
Release Date: Sunday, March 20, 2016
OT triumph caps off franchise record 46-win season for Lakers
FORT FRANCES, Ont. – Dylan Robertson’s 31st goal of the season, which came via the power play 2:05 into overtime, was the difference as the Fort Frances Lakers held of a rally by the English River Miners to win 5-4 Sunday afternoon in a Superior International Junior Hockey League matinee at Ice for Kids Arena.
The victory for the Lakers was their franchise-best 46th of the campaign as they wrapped up the regular season with the best record in the SIJHL at 46-8-0-2 in 56 games.
The league mark for victories in a single season was set back in 2005-06 by the Bill Salonen Cup and Dudley-Hewitt Cup champion Fort William North Stars who went 50-2 in a 52-game campaign. Their .962 winning percentage is also a SIJHL record.
In Sunday’s contest, Fort Frances grabbed the lead on a shorthanded tally by Dylan Kooner at 13:36.
English River tied things up at 1-1 two and a half minutes later Braden Pearce connected on a Miners power play for his third of the season.
The Lakers came out quickly to begin second stanza getting goals 19 seconds apart from Nolan Ross and Christian Ripley to go up by a pair.
Fort Frances then made it 4-1 at 7:32 of the frame as Davis Ross converted on a man advantage opportunity.
English River battled back getting tallies from Alex Maticic, on the power play, and Mike Norris at even strength to pull within one entering the third.
The Miners then forced extra time with 14:33 remaining in regulation as Brandon Schaber collected his 10th of the year.
In OT, with Fort Frances enjoying a four-on-three man advantage, Robertson won it as he took a no-look behind the back pass from Nick Minerva and snapped the game-winner high past English River netminder Korlan Vader to end it.
Brandon Bodnar made 31 saves to record the decision for the Lakers while Vader helped his side pick-up a point after seeing 46 shots fired his way.
The Miners will now take on the Minnesota Iron Rangers in the opening round of the Bill Salonen Cup playoffs in a best-of-five set starting Wednesday in Ear Falls at 7 p.m.
The winner of that series will then meet the Lakers in a best-of-seven semifinal.
Dryden and Thunder Bay will square off in the other league semifinal.