Note: Saturday night, the Fort Frances Lakers beat the Iron Rangers 2-0 forcing a sixth game to be played at Hoyt Lakes Monday night.  Minnesota now leads the best of seven series three games to two.  Game time is 7:00 PM.

Last Wednesday night in Hoyt Lakes, the Minnesota Iron Rangers beat Fort Frances Lakers 5-4 in the third game of the Superior International Junior Hockey League’s championship series.  The Rangers won on a goal scored by Jason Reynolds/De Pere WI forty seconds into the second overtime period.  A number of Ranger fans missed seeing the winning goal scored. The Rangers handed out free hot dogs in appreciation of the strong fan support and they were collecting their dogs when the Rangers won.

Thursday the Iron Rangers won again, beating the Lakers 3-0.  There was no fan worry about missing a winning goal as the Minnesota team scored twice in the second period and added an insurance goal late in the third to beat the Lakers.  A win now for the Iron Rangers in tonight's game played in Fort Frances will clinch the SIJHL title this year and place SIJHL’s Bill Salonen Cup given to the top team in the league for 2013-2014 in the Hoyt Lakes arena.  A loss means playing a sixth game in Hoyt Lakes Monday evening.

A win would also mean the Iron Rangers would play for the Central Canda championship in two weeks and for the Dudley Hewitt Cup that goes to the top Junior A team in Central Canada as the Rangers continue their quest for the RBC Cup that goes to the top Junior A team in Canada.

Period One: Too Many Penalties, Beaver Tail, and Northern Pike

Play in the first period was marred by Iron Ranger penalties.  In the first 10 minutes, the Minnesota team drew three penalties.  After both teams spent the opening minutes of the period pushing the puck in the middle zone, the Rangers started to move the puck before drawing a high sticking penalty 5 minutes into the period.  Playing the penalty kill in a tight box and holding position, the Minnesota team kept the Lakers to the outside and killed the penalty.

Playing even again, the Iron Rangers started to take control of the game flow.  They started to beating the Lakers' defense to the the outside and getting shots on goal.  And the Lakers' offense played their worst five minutes of the game; their offensive play was disjointed, passes missed, and players out of position. Ranger pressure was building and they were on the verge of beating the Laker's defense in the Fort Frances zone.  Then the IR's drew their second penalty.

Minnesota kept their penalty kill box tight and killed the second penalty, but the Lakers started to fly.

The Hoyt Lakes Arena set up has a one corner where the fans can stand in an upper level.  That corner is in the oppoent's zone.  They also have their sound system there and fans standing in the upper level have to deal with standing next to the loud spreakers.  Between the music blaring on game stoppages and the fans jawing to opponents and refs on the ice, the visitors will get an earful.  In earlier games, a beaver tail suddenly appeared on the ice.  Another time a northern pike was thrown.  At Thursday's game, two local police watch the game in front of that corner.  Watching a period in that "boom box" corner is quite an experience and not for faint of heart.

When one of the four refs made a bad call obvious to all on a third Ranger penalty, the fans started roaring and the "boom box" corner became merciless in their criticism.  The bad call started when an Iron Ranger lost his helmet and headed to the bench during an fierce Laker attack that ended with a quick whistle and a faceoff before the player could make the bench. The Ranger turned back to collect his helmet at mid-ice and was given a two minute penalty for playing without a helmet.

The fans in the "boom box corner" never stopped after that, standing next to a sign that appeared saying "this section will ref for free".  They were truely vocal.  No sane player would have stayed on the ice last night without a helmet.  It was that kind of game.

Both teams turned cautious in the waning minutes of the first period.  The period ended with Fort Frances trying to hit a breaking forward from neutral ice on their attacks.  The Lakers would fall back, five across the ice around the red line and try to counter the Iron Ranger breakouts by stripping the puck in at the red line and hitting a breaking wing.  The Rangers' offense tried to dump the puck deep and tie up the Ranger defense with a single forward to tie up the Laker defense in the Fort Frances' zone corners.

Neither team scored.  The opening period ended in a scoreless tie.  The Lakers outsho the Rangers 14-12 in the opening period.

Period 2

The Rangers opened the second period playing shorthanded.  Less than a minute into the period, they drew a trip and killed that penalty.  After the Laker power play ended, the game settled with both teams having opportunities, but both teams playing defense first, offense second.  At the thirteen minute mark, that changed, Minnesota established control in the Lakers’ zone and worked the puck to the perimeter to defenseman T. J. Semac/St. Paul MN.  Semac, on the left point, walked the puck to the center blue line and buried a shot in the upper right corner of the Lakers’ net to put the Iron Rangers up 1-0.  A. J. Rupert/Mounds View MN got the assist.

That goal led to an aggressive Iron Ranger attack.  When a Laker defenseman took down a weak side forward on a 2-on-1 Minnesota rush and ended up in the penalty box, Fort Frances had problems.  They held together on the penalty, killing the Rangers’ power play; but were caught on the ensuing play.  The Rangers managed to keep the puck low in the Fort Frances zone and ended setting up their second goal of the period.

The Lakers tried clearing the zone, but it turned into a Ranger rush on their net with a Ranger forward taking a hard shot from the left boards.  The puck rebounded off the Fort Frances goalies’ pads and trickled into the right crease.  The Rangers’ Seth Chumley/Benilde-St. Margaret managed to squeeze his 6’1” body between a diving goalie and a pinching Laker defender and backhand the puck into the open net.  Rangers led 2-0.  Max Seiter/Stevens Point WI and Jay Routheau/Green Bay WI got the assists.

Minnesota drew their fifth penalty putting the Lakers on the power play with four minutes left in the second period.  The Lakers pressured the Rangers again on the power play, but Minnesota held their box and kept Fort Frances to the outside.  The Lakers pressured the Minnesota defense in the final minutes of the second period.  They desperately wanted to cut the Ranger lead to 2-1, but could not score.  The Rangers outshot the Lakers 9-8 in the second period and led 2-0 going into the final period.

Period 3: The Easter Bunny and No Penalties

The Easter Bunny showed up in the third period and led the cheers as the Iron Rangers took the ice.  But the Bunny kept away from the “boom box” corner of the arena.  Rabbits have also ended up on the ice.

Remarkably, the Rangers drew no penalties in the third period.  They settled down.  The Lakers drew the early penalty which Fort Frances killed.  After some Laker pressure early in the period, the Rangers start to control the game in part aided by the Lakers returning to play five across in the neutral zone and going for the counter attack.  Instead of gaining the counterattack, the Lakers were forced to stop Ranger rushes.

With 10 minutes left in the period, the Lakers became more aggressive and started pressuring the pressuring the Rangers in the Minnesota zone.  At that point, the Lakers were getting the good shots from the outer crease and slot areas; but now Ranger goalie Alex Reichle stepped up and made a number of key stops.  Fort Frances outshot the Rangers 21-12 in the third period.  Most of those shots came in the last 7 minutes.

Ranger defenseman Samec had some good defense shifts late in the game until another bad penalty call sidelined him and a Laker forward for two minutes.  Samec, looking physically stronger since opening the season playing for the Minnesota Magicians, showed his skill in moving and controlling the puck on his shifts in the Minnesota zone.

Perhaps the key moment in the third period came with about three minutes left.  A Laker forward ended up with a clean shot on an open Ranger net from the weak side, and managed to miss.  The puck cleared the left post by inches and slid to the end boards.  A minute later, the Lakers pulled their goalie and it resulted in the Rangers’ Eric Madison/St. Paul MN scoring an empty netter with 30 seconds left in the game to end the scoring 3-0.

Evan Erickson/Woodbury MN got the assist.  Madison, a former player for the St. Paul Saints (high school hockey) played for the Utah Regulators before signing with Minnesota at the start of the season.  Evan Erickson played for the Wellington Dukes in the Ontario Junior Hockey League last season.  One more Minnesota win over Fort Frances and Erickson will return to play the Wellington Dukes for the Central Canada Junior title.  Wellington will be hosting the Dudley Hewitt Cup tourney in late April.

What is Next?

Most of the Iron Ranger fans at Thursday’s game stayed after the game ended and gave the team a standing ovation.  They may have anticipated a Ranger victory tonight in Fort Frances that would have end the Minnesota season since the remaining tourneys will be played in Canada.  But if the Rangers lose tonight, they will return to Hoyt Lakes for Game 6.  If that happens, YHH will be there barring another Minnesota snowstorm.  The chase for the Canadian Cups continues in Northeastern Minnesota.

Have a good Easter Holiday.