By Brett Richter
Jan 9 & 10, 2026 Ironwood Lumberjacks vs Kam River Walleye
Back in December, the Ironwood Lumberjacks entered the Christmas Holiday break on a high note following a home victory over the Fort Frances Lakers. During the team holiday departure meeting in December, Head Coach Doug Lein asked the team to return with the momentum the hard-fought victory had generated. The test of his request came in the form of the Kam River Walleye.
The weekend series kicked off on Friday, January 9 with a 7:30 puck drop. The Jacks took the ice and played strong disciplined hockey for 20 minutes. The Walleye were able to slide a puck past Ironwood goaltender Gavin Covrig at the 17-minute mark of the first. The period ended with the Jacks down 0-1.
The second period found the visitors adding another goal in the first three minutes. At the 7:30 mark of the second, the newest Lumberjack, #9 Tyki Babcock scored a great goal with assists credited to Owen DeBrody and Ryland Elsenpeter. The Jacks appeared to gain some much-needed confidence and momentum from the Babcock goal, but it was short lived. Kam added a third goal with five minutes left in the second period. The period ended with the Jacks down 1-3.
Whether it was rust from the holiday time off, a lack of energy due to minimal game play in the last 30 days or some other factor, the Lumberjacks took the third period ice seemingly on remote control. A quick Kam River short handed goal at the 1:36 mark of the third seemed to deflate any chance of a Lumberjack comeback this early January evening. The first game of 2026 ended in a 1-4 loss for the Lumberjacks.
Saturday, January 10
During Friday’s post-game comments to his team, Coach Lein, in very colorful and strong language, emphasized the need for the Lumberjacks to be prepared to commit 100% toward a full 60-minute game on Saturday. The 21-man roster took heed and came to the Pat O’Donnell Civic Center prepared to prove worthy of the request.
Connor Doyle was charged with minding the goal for the Lumberjacks in game two of the weekend series with the Kam River Walleye. Early game focus on the part of Doyle would serve him well during the 60-minute contest. The Walleye opened the scoring at the 10-minute mark of the first taking an early 0-1 lead. The Lumberjacks, unphased, continued to work the ice and battle for pucks. #5, Bennet Arro, snapped a great shot past the Kam River netminder at the 18-minute mark. Arro’s shot came off a clean faceoff win by Jack Hanna giving Hanna the lone assist on the goal. The Lumberjacks entered the locker room with the game tied 1-1.
The second period found the Lumberjacks exhibiting a commitment to better puck control and a stronger mid zone effort. The balance of play swung slightly in favor of the Lumberjacks frustrating the visitors. Other than three penalties on the visitor and one on the Lumberjacks, the scoreboard remained unchanged and the second period ended 1-1.
Knowing the game was well within reach, The Lumberjacks came out with a high level of intensity. Doyle was playing well in net having stopped 37 of 38 shots in the first two periods. He would continue to shine, stopping 16 of 17 additional shots in the third. Kam River took a penalty at the 4:40 mark of the third period. 43 seconds later, Jack Carruthers scored his team leading 11th goal of the season on the power play with assists from Tim Hanulik and Will Porter. The Lumberjacks were up 2-1. 17 seconds later and demonstrating a workman’s attitude, Jack Hanna scored his 6th goal of the season off an assist from Logan Carey. The Lumberjacks held a two-goal lead with just over 14 minutes remaining. From that moment on, Doyle took the Lumberjacks lead personally and stopped all but one shot over the remaining minutes. With the final horn sounding, the Lumberjacks finished the game with a well-earned, hard-fought victory, 3-2.
The Lumberjacks are on the road January 16 and 17 for a weekend series in Dryden followed by a rare midweek Tuesday game on January 20 against the Fort Frances Lakers. The Lumberjacks are back on home ice January 23 and 24 against the Sioux Lookout Bombers.