Staff
Annalise Hayes has scored plenty of goals this season but none bigger than last night.
The Grade 9 forward finished off a 2-on-1 with Amy Penner to score the game-winner with 2:15 to go to give the Muskie girls’ hockey team a 4-3 win over the Timmins Blues in the semi-finals of the OFSAA ‘AA’ championship in Kenora.
With the victory, the third-seeded Muskies assured themselves their first OFSAA medal in program history when they faced the top-ranked St. Michael’s Warriors (Stratford) in the final earlier today.
The outcome wasn’t known as of press time.
It looked as though it would be an easy time for the black-and-gold against Timmins, who got a goal from Jessica Coran just nine seconds into the game and led 2-0 on Penner’s marker at 5:24.
But the No. 13-ranked Blues, with only eight skaters available, battled back with a pair of tallies by Monica Edwards-Kataquapit just over a minute apart early in the second period.
Janelle Kaemingh restored the Muskies’ lead with a 30-foot wrist shot that fooled Timmins’ goalie Lindsay Strum 57 seconds later.
But the Blues tied it again on a rebound goal by Edwards-Kataquapit with 3:09 left in regulation.
That led to Penner outwaiting an outstretched Rebecca Jezic trying to block her pass across to Hayes, who redirected the puck up and over the shoulder of a kneeling Strum.
Calie Clendenning made 21 saves to earn the win.
Fort High began the day with an 11-1 romp over the 16th-ranked Kenora Broncos in the quarter-finals.
Penner netted her third hat trick in four games while Emma Noga and Hayes each scored twice for the Muskies, who outshot their NorWOSSA rivals 67-12.
Coran, Sam McKinnon, Jenna Clendenning, and Kaily Greengrass added singles.
Kate Parsons made 11 saves to earn the victory.
Jess Ricklefs had the lone goal for the Broncos.
Fort High went 3-0 to earn top spot in Pool ‘B,’ capped by a 5-4 win Tuesday night over the ninth-ranked Southwood Sabres (Cambridge).
The Muskies had blanked the eighth-seeded St. Mark’s Lions (Ottawa) 9-0 count earlier in the day.
