FORT FRANCES, Ont. – The Fort Frances Lakers picked up two goals from Hunter Buzzi Tuesday night to help earn a 5-3 triumph over the English River Miners in Superior International Junior Hockey League action at Ice for Kids Arena.
The visiting Miners were first to strike in the contest as Coleton Johnson collected his first SIJHL tally at 4:18.
Battling back the Lakers drew level on Jack Bernie’s opening marker of the campaign at 11:30 while Noah Loveday’s initial league effort 36 seconds later put Fort Frances on top.
The home side added another before the session was complete compliments of Jeff Venzon’s as he struck shorthanded with four minutes left to notch his first in the SIJHL.
Heading into the middle stanza Fort Frances upped their cushion to three as Buzzi beat English River Michael Lenko six and a half minutes into the session for the eventual game-winner.
Jared Janke got one back for English River midway through the period to pull the visitors to within two and he converted while his side was down a man.
The night of firsts continued later in the second when Stratton Pickett picked up his opening SIJHL marker for the Miners to make it a one-goal game heading into the third.
Regrouping however, Fort Frances got some insurance early in the final stanza thanks to Buzzi at 1:02 to round out the scoring.
Brett Akins started for the Lakers and picked up the win turning aside 23 of 26 shots in 40 minutes of work, before he gave way to Rob Ivy to begin the third. Ivy handled all 12 attempts he saw in relief.
Lenko suffered the loss for the Miners seeing making 19 stops in defeat for English River.