Lucas Punkari
A three-goal second period, coupled with strong goaltending in the final frame, proved to be the difference for the Kenora Broncos here yesterday afternoon as they edged the Muskie girls’ hockey team 3-2 in the final of their eighth-annual tournament.
The black-and-gold jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period but the Broncos dominated most of the action in the second and forced the Muskies to play catch up for the first time all weekend.
Fort High peppered the Broncos’ net with a number of shots in the third but were unable to solve Kenora goalie Becca Mahon.
“The first period was the way that we want to see the girls play,” said Muskie coach Scott Clendenning.
“But in the second, we came out flat and back on our heels. And against a team like Kenora, you need to play three periods of hockey,” he stressed.
“In the third, the girls started to play with a little more jam and they had quite a few opportunities at the end to tie it up, but we just couldn’t get one on the board.”
The best chance the Muskies had to knot the game up came with just 25 seconds left in regulation time when the hosts were awarded a penalty shot after it was ruled a Kenora player had her hand on the puck in the crease during a goal-mouth scramble.
Amy Penner raced down the ice to try and notch the equalizer, but her attempt was turned aside by Mahon, dashing any chance of a dramatic comeback.
“That’s a very big confidence-booster for her,” Broncos’ head coach Dave Craven said of his goalie’s performance.
“She hasn’t been feeling well lately, but it was great to see her do that and it’s a big accomplishment not only for her but the entire team,” he added.
Hilary Moncreif, Jess Ricklefs, and Maddie Trudeau all scored for the Broncos in the final while Katie Sinclair and Claire Sandelovich replied for the Muskies.
Prior to yesterday’s setback, the black-and-gold had won all of their games in their home tournament, finishing the round-robin portion with a perfect 4-0 mark.
Then they beat the Red Lake Rams 5-2 on Saturday night to advance to the final.
Shilo Beck had a hat trick in Saturday night’s game, with teammates Shelby Tymkin and Jessica Coran also scoring.
With their pre-season slate now over, the Muskie girls now will prepare for their NorWOSSA season-opener next Tuesday (Nov. 13) against the Dryden Eagles.
The puck will drop at 7:30 p.m. at the ’52 Canadians Arena.
