Lucas Punkari
After opening their season with an unbeaten record en route to winning their home tournament, the Muskie girls’ hockey team was looking to have another solid performance at the Sturgeon Heights Husky Female Hockey Classic in Winnipeg over the weekend.
Despite finishing the tournament with a 2-3 mark, and losing the ‘B’-side final 2-1 to the host Huskies on Sunday afternoon, head coach Scott Clendenning was pleased with how things went.
“It would have been nice to come out of the tournament with a 3-2 record, but I am happy with how the team preformed,” he said.
“The goal going into the tournament was to continue to work hard and come together as a team, and I think the girls are doing just that.”
The black-and-gold opened play Friday morning with a convincing 5-0 shutout over the Selkirk Royals, with Hailey Clendenning and Shelby Tymkin each scoring a pair of goals.
Calie Clendenning, meanwhile, turned aside every shot she faced.
“For our first game of the weekend, I felt that things were working out really well for the girls,” Coach Clendenning said.
“They were moving the puck well and doing everything like that, and overall it was a good solid game with a good solid effort.”
But their second round-robin game didn’t go quite as well that afternoon as they dropped a 6-3 decision to Oak Park.
Amy Penner led the way with a two-point showing.
“I think the girls underestimated the team we were up against,” Clendenning admitted.
“We came out a little bit flat and we were back on our heels, but overall I thought that were some good moments in the game.
“But the girls just didn’t compete over a full three periods,” he stressed.
With a 1-1 record in Pool ‘D,’ the Muskies finished the round-robin portion in second place and drew Pool ‘B’ winners Balmoral Hall in the quarter-finals Saturday morning, where the Blazers skated away with a 5-1 victory.
“They were a very strong team, but they were also a fun team to play against,” Clendenning recalled.
“If we had shown up early on and not been back on our heels, I think we could have competed with them for the whole game, and I would like to have another crack at them at some point this season.”
The loss dropped Fort High into the ‘B’-side bracket, where they went up against the Dakota Lancers in the semi-finals Saturday afternoon.
Despite trailing 3-2 with less than five minutes to play, the Muskies roared back with goals by Shilo Beck and Penner to grab the dramatic 4-3 victory and advance into the ‘B’-side final.
“That was a really good character-building win for the girls,” Clendenning enthused.
“They just kept on digging and digging to get that comeback win, and it was really a big energy lifter for the entire team.”
Unfortunately for the Muskies, their good fortune came to an end Sunday afternoon as the host Huskies prevailed 2-1 despite the fact Fort High outshot them 30-21.
“I felt we controlled the game for pretty much the entire time, but in the end we made a couple of little mistakes and they got two goals on us,” Clendenning noted.
“Overall, I thought we outshot them and outplayed them, but we just couldn’t get the puck into the back of the net,” he sighed.
Sarah Milling netted the lone goal for the Muskies.
Looking ahead, the black-and-gold don’t play again until Friday, Nov. 11, when they visit Thief River Falls, Mn. for an exhibition contest.
The squad then will open the NorWOSSA campaign that Saturday and Sunday here against Dryden and Red Lake, respectively.
With a lengthy period of time to practice before those contests, Clendenning is hopping to fix a couple of things prior to that busy stretch of three games in three days.
“I think the biggest thing that we have to start working on with the girls is the fact that consistency pays off in the long run,” he stressed.
“If you are not consistent in your play, those small little mistakes can often be game-changers, and that is something that we want to fix.
“But to be honest, I am pleased with the fact that the team is coming together nicely, and that we have got off to a good start in some competitive tournaments,” Clendenning added.
