The Muskie boys’ hockey team passed one of its biggest tests—and most anticipated game—with flying colours here last Friday, blanking the International Falls Broncos 4-0.
“It was a real good win for the team, it was a real team-builder, and a real good win form the home crowd,” Muskie head coach Shane Bliss said afterwards.
“We knew we were gonna be in for a tough game and the boys hung with them the whole time,” he added.
Scoring for the Muskies were Kevin Bobczynski, Zach McCool, George Halverson, and Cody McCool. Joe Basaraba added a pair of assists.
David Moen earned the shutout between the pipes.
Bliss didn’t mince words when talking about the game, calling it “the best effort I’ve seen [my players] have all year.”
“That was a great win for us because of the fact that we’re banged up, we’re playing at home,” he continued. “I don’t think it matters what kind of state you’re in . . . . we find some extra energy for that one [game versus the Falls] all the time.”
The Muskie girls were less successful, however, coming out on the short end of a 3-2 score earlier Friday against the Lady Broncos.
Nicole Beadle, in the second period, and Lauren Krukoski, in the third, were the lone Muskie goal scorers.
“I didn’t think we played as well as we could,” said Muskie head coach Lynn Kellar. “It wasn’t for lack of effort, just fatigue, you know? Mistakes they wouldn’t normally make they were making.
“The Falls played well,” he added. “They were a little hungrier than we were.”
Katie Stearns manned the net, and Kellar insisted her play wasn’t what sunk the Muskies.
“She played all right,” he stressed. “Overall, I think as a team we can play better.
“There wasn’t everybody that played poorly, but it was one of those games where we just didn’t have the energy we needed more than anything,” he remarked.
The girls stumbled in their final game of 2007, recovering from injuries and other mild maladies, as well as the exhaustion from rattling off a number of tough games during December, that kept them from playing
all-out Friday against the Broncos.
“A lot of the kids are still getting over stuff,” Kellar noted. “It’s just kind of hard to get excited when you just don’t feel good.”
While Kellar wasn’t thrilled with what the girls were able to muster Friday night, he was happy to see a crowd turnout that was larger than usual—if only just from early arrivals for the boys’ game that followed.
Bliss also was pleased with what he termed a “huge” crowd, estimating about 1,000 lively hockey fans were in the seats for the highly-anticipated rivalry.
“I wish we had more games like that at home,” he said.
The boys are now at a tournament in Duluth until tomorrow (Dec. 28), then resume NorWOSSA play here Jan. 8 against the Kenora Broncos.
Bliss hoped the win over the Falls Broncos would spark them to success in Duluth.
The Muskie girls, meanwhile, are back on the ice tonight (Dec. 27) at 6:15 p.m. for a special alumni game at the Ice for Kids Arena.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
