Lucas Punkari
Even though the Muskie girls’ hockey team fell a game short of advancing to the NorWOSSA final, first-year head coach Scott Clendenning was rather satisfied with what his squad brought to the table this season.
“Overall, the effort was there throughout the year and I’m very proud of the girls,” Clendenning said after his team was eliminated in the best-of-three NorWOSSA semi-finals by the Dryden Eagles last Tuesday.
“It was honour to be a part of a team and a privilege to have coached the girls,” he noted.
“Their behaviour and their attitude in coming in to work at practice all year, along with being committed to the program, was great to see,” he added.
“It was a pleasure to coach all of them.”
The post-season journey for the Muskie girls began with a single quarter-final game against the host Red Lake Rams on Feb. 23, which had been delayed two days due to inclement weather.
“It meant we had to wait a little bit longer, but that delay did give us another practice under our belts and a little more preparation for that game,” Clendenning reasoned.
That extra bit of ice time might have been the difference in the end as the Muskies rolled to a 7-1 triumph and a berth in the semi-finals versus the first-place Eagles.
“The girls came out very strong in that game [against Red Lake],” Clendenning recalled.
“They were getting pucks to the net, moving the puck very well, and playing the game they way that can play it,” he lauded.
“All of that made for a big win.”
Shilo Beck led the attack offensively with four goals while Hailey Clendenning, Katie Sinclair, and Amy Penner added singles.
Following that game in Red Lake, the Muskies immediately made the trek to Dryden to open their best-of-three semi-final series Feb. 24, upsetting the host Eagles 6-4.
“Their performance was even more impressive than what they brought against Red Lake the night before,” Clendenning enthused.
“The girls stepped up to the task against Dryden as they were moving all over the ice and playing hard with the puck, which was a wonderful thing to watch.”
Penner scored a hat trick in that one, with Shelby Tymkin netting a pair.
Sinclair rounded out the scoring for Fort High.
The Muskies then had a chance to sweep the series Feb. 26 at the Ice For Kids Arena, but were unable to complete the upset as the Eagles won 5-1 victory to force the third-and-deciding game Feb. 28 back in Dryden.
“That was one of those games that you just wish that you could have played over,” Clendenning sighed.
“We were getting pucks to the net again, and I think we outshot them by around a 40-20 margin, but our shots just weren’t going in,” he noted.
Amber Jourdain scored late in the third period to spoil the shutout bid of Eagles’ goalie CJ Ecker.
That set the stage for a winner-take-all showdown last Tuesday in Dryden, where the Muskies again fired pucks to the net but were unable to overcome an early deficit en route to a 5-3 loss.
“We were down 4-1 in the third period but the girls were able to claw back to make it 4-3 late,” Clendenning recalled.
“We had some real good chances in the final minutes, and we also tried to pull our goalie to try and tie things up, but their goalie CJ Ecker played well and made a number of big saves.
“It was a hard-fought game and the girls laid it all out on the ice, so I’m very proud of them,” he added.
Sinclair, Shelby Tymkin, and Ericka Tymkin were the Muskie goal scorers in that one.
Looking back on the season as a whole, Clendenning was most pleased by the effort the players brought, especially in the final games of the campaign.
“Although winning our home tournament in October was a great start to the year, I think we ended up becoming a much better team at the end of the year than where we were at the beginning,” Clendenning reasoned.
“My goal as a coach at the start of the year was to have the girls continue to develop and get them to play the game the way that they could, and they were able to do just that.”
Looking towards the future, Clendenning believes this season’s performance bodes well for the next NorWOSSA campaign.
“We ended up with a 24-20 record, and I would say for us that is a successful season,” he remarked.
“This is one of those things that you can always build on, and we are already looking at next year and looking at doing some things differently.
“We had a young team this year so we will be returning a lot of our players,” Clendenning noted.
However, three players from this year’s squad suited up for a final time as a Muskie last Tuesday in Dryden, with forwards Taylor Dixon and Ericka Tymkin, along with goalie Dana Cridland, all set to graduate from the high school ranks.
“It’s always difficult when the seniors are leaving, and there were some tears flowing after the game on Tuesday night,” Clendenning said.
“All three of those girls are solid people, and I wish them the best of luck in whatever they end up doing.”
In addition to thanking the three departing players, Clendenning also extended his gratitude to those who helped him out during his rookie campaign behind the bench.
“I need to thank my assistants, Mark Rea and Michelle Veldhuisen, as they did a great job and it was a real pleasure to coach with them also,” he remarked.
“The importance that the parents bring to the team has been huge, as well, as they have helped the team out a lot throughout the year, and without that it would be a difficult task to run a team,” he stressed.
“I would also like to thank our athletic director, Shane Beckett, for his dedication to the team, and also to the school administration for their ongoing support,” Clendenning added.
The last function for the Muskie girls’ team will be its annual year-end banquet in early April.
The exact date and time has yet to be determined.
