FORT FRANCES, Ont. – Wyatt Cota’s second goal of the game, 2:51 into overtime during a man advantage opportunity lifted the Fort Frances Lakers to their ninth Superior International Junior Hockey League victory in a row as they edged the English River Miners 6-5 in a back and forth affair Tuesday at Ice for Kids Arena.
The game was scoreless until the latter stages of the opening stanza when the Lakers struck shorthanded with 62 seconds left in the session as Lucas Debenedet beat English River starter Greg Harney while also extending a consecutive game point streak to nine.
English River evened things up 3:44 into the middle frame courtesy of an Aaron Beauchamp effort.
The visitors then went in front, via the power play, at 11:07 as Domenic Blouin connected for his 10th of the campaign.
Fort Frances regrouped as recently acquired forward Nolan Ross banged in his first in the Lakers’debut to level the proceedings at 2-2.
The home side then re-took the lead with a man advantage marker of their own with a minute and 22 seconds left in the period courtesy of Cota.
The Miners pulled even once again early in the session as Richard Dartnall connected at 1:12.
Goals kept coming in the back and forth affair from there as after Bowen Alcock put Fort Frances back in front once again, English River battled back once more as Taylor Bargar tied it at 4-4 at 7:44 of the third.
Matt Vela put the Lakers up one yet again with 3:46 left, but the resilient Miners continued to battle and forced OT with just 20 seconds remaining in regulation as Bargar notched his second of the evening to see that each team earned at least one point on the night.
In the end, with Fort Frances up a man, they won it as Mason Meyer made a crisp back door pass to an open Cota at the side of the crease where he tapped in the game-winner.
Shots on goal favoured the Lakers 44-29 with Pierce Dushenko picking up the decision and Harney the OT setback.
Lakers action resumes Friday as the Thunder Bay North Stars visit the Ice for Kids Arena in a 7:30 pm start.