Evan Baker’s stellar saves lead Fort St. John Huskies to weekend wins 

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Fort St. John Huskies goaltender Evan Baker’s steadfast goaltending led the team to two wins over the weekend.

The 18-year-old hometown product is currently in his first full season in the North West Junior Hockey League (NWJHL) after spending time with the AA Northeast BC Trackers last season.

According to head coach Todd Alexander, his consistency between the pipes has elevated the Huskies, and his class showed on Friday, November 8th, versus the Peace River Navigators.

Combined with Ryan Ungstad’s three assists and goals from brothers Ashton and Zander Underhill, Baker stopped 31 shots to nail down a crucial 5-3 win.

His performance earned Baker the team’s Star of the Game award. Other scorers included Sam Loewen, Colby Busche, and MacCoy Willms. 

While the team played “pockets” of defense, says Alexander,  the six odd-man rushes the team gave up could’ve been problematic if not for Baker.

“That was a very sloppy game for us,” said Alexander. “We overhandled the puck in our zone and didn’t move it north good enough.”

“We kept going east to west when it was not there. Those types of plays give other teams opportunities. [Evan]  bailed us out quite a bit. If he hadn’t played the way he played, [the game] probably would have been flipped on its head the other way.”

Compared to Friday night, the Huskies 3-0 win versus the Dawson Creek Kodiaks was relatively comfortable.

Baker had to make just 11 saves for his second shutout this year, as Willms had a hat trick.

“Willms is an important player for us, ” said Alexander. “He pushes the pace physically and on the score sheet. He was snake-bit early on, but he’s come on strong.”

Heading into a tilt with Beaverlodge, Alexander insists his charges must remain sharp.

The Blades come into the contest with close games being part of their repertoire. Half of Beaverlodge’s 16 contests so far in their 2023-24 NWJHL season have been one-goal affairs.

“They’ve got lots of talent on that team,” said Alexander. “They’ve got good goaltending. Want to make sure that we play the right way, five on five, and limit the opportunities. I think that it’ll be a great challenge having them here.”

Puck drop at the North Peace Arena is scheduled for Friday, November 15th, at 8:00 p.m.

For further details, visit the Fort St. John Huskies’ Facebook page and website.