Joey Payeur
Faith can move mountains but having a team with a ton of talent doesn’t hurt, either.
The Muskie girls’ hockey team finished off 2015 in dramatic style last Thursday—erasing a 2-0 third-period deficit en route to a 3-2 victory in overtime against the St. Francis/North Branch Fighting Saints in the Red Division final of the girls’ varsity category at the annual Schwan Cup in Blaine, Mn.
Annalise Hayes netted the game-winner at 3:28 of the extra session as sixth-ranked Fort High upended fourth-seeded St. Francis/North Branch to win its division at the Schwan Cup for the first time.
“You never know who’s going to win in overtime,” noted Muskie head coach Todd Hamilton.
“We kept rolling the lines out there and we really pressured them in overtime.
“They had a real big centre who was really good [Sophia Zebro] but I think our speed wore them down,” he added.
The Saints jumped in front with 22 seconds left in the first on the power play with Abby Plourde off for cross-checking.
Zebro got the puck on the end boards and slipped a pass out front to Holly Anderson, who stepped inside of Sara Jackson and one-timed a low shot past Muskie goalie Sydney Beck stick side.
Zebro then helped set up the lone goal of the second.
Avery Cates got caught pinching in from the point—setting up a 2-on-1 with Zebro and Red Division scoring champion Kalley Wagner (eight points).
Beck stopped Zebro’s shot but the rebound went to an unguarded Wagner at the side of the net, who cashed in to make it 2-0.
“We had to regroup after the second and I told them don’t worry about the score because the goals will come if we keep pressuring them,” recalled Hamilton.
The Muskies proved their coach right only 51 seconds into the third when Emma Noga and Siobhan Mackintosh raced away 2-on-1.
Noga sped down the right wing and then zipped a wrist shot over the glove of Saints’ goalie Rachel Miller.
“Emma’s goal really helped us relax a bit,” noted Hamilton.
“She [Noga] really came around this weekend with her speed,” he added.
“It was a breakout weekend for her.”
Jenna Clendenning then tied the game about three minutes later.
The title-clinching goal came about as the result of a scrambled draw in the Saints’ zone.
Zebro and Hayes tied each other up on the face-off, with Zebro trying to clear the puck out.
But Sam McKinnon kept it in at the blueline and unleashed a quick shot which Saints’ defender Natalie St. Marie had hit her skate in front of the net.
Before she should gain control of it, though, Hayes picked her pocket and swept a shot at the net.
The puck caught the inside of the right post and bounced into the crease, then changed direction and slid across the goal line.
What happened next—or, more accurately, what didn’t happen next—showed Hamilton his team is listening to his messages.
“We’ve talked to them all year about being respectful and to act like you’ve won before,” he said regarding the lack of an all-out frenzied celebration after Hayes’ goal.
“It’s OK to be happy but you don’t have to pile on the goalie,” he remarked.
“Besides, we only had one goalie there and we didn’t need her getting injured for future games,” Hamilton chuckled.
Beck finished with 22 saves to earn the victory.
The Muskies gave notice they were in for a good week when they dumped the third-ranked Luverne (Mn.) Cardinals 5-1 in their opening game.
After Clendenning and Mackintosh scored goals in the first two periods, the Muskies broke open the contest in the third with markers from Hayes, Taylor Croswell (shorthanded), and Plourde (power play).
“Luverne was undefeated in their first 10 games this year and they have one line that has over 120 points in just 11 games,” noted Hamilton.
“But we identified those three girls ahead of time and we didn’t really shadow them, but we were aware when they were on the ice and the forwards and defence did a great job defensively limiting their shots,” he said.
Beck again made 22 saves.
The semi-final pitted Fort High against a familiar foe from earlier this season—the second-seeded Duluth Marshall Hilltoppers, whom the Muskies split two one-goal games with back on Nov. 13-14 in Duluth.
This time around, the black-and-gold used a four-goal second period to power their way to a 5-2 win.
Mackintosh and Hayes each scored twice in the middle frame while Croswell added one more in the third.
Beck had 19 stops to earn the win.
“We had the advantage of playing them before and knowing how they stretch the ice,” said Hamilton.
“Frankly, we controlled the game and it could have been 7-2 or 8-2.”
The Muskies returned to NorWOSSA action last night against the Dryden Eagles at the Ice For Kids Arena, with both teams sitting atop the standings at 6-1 (the score was unavailable as of press time).
The squad then heads to Sioux Lookout tomorrow to face the Warriors before travelling to Thunder Bay for the second time this season for four games over three days.
Fort High will play the Confederation College Thunderhawks on Friday, then battle both the Thunder Bay Queens ‘AA’ and ‘A’ teams on Saturday.
Capping the busy slate will be a Sunday matchup against the Lakehead University Thunderwolves.
The Muskies’ next home game is an exhibition showdown with the Silver Bay (Mn.) Mariners on Jan. 16 at 1 p.m. at the Couchiching Arena.
