Joey Payeur
The final chapter had a familiar outcome.
But the rest of the story was a spellbinding page-turner.
The famous cliché about the regular season meaning nothing came to life last night as the heavily-favoured Muskies had to reach deep to pull out a 4-3 victory over the Kenora Broncos in Game 1 of their best-of-three NorWOSSA boys’ hockey final at the Ice For Kids Arena.
Fort High’s three-game sweep of the teams’ regular-season series by a combined 21-3 score was immaterial to the Broncos, who led 3-2 with less than 14 minutes to go before the eight-time defending league champs roared back to avoid a repeat of last year’s Game 1 home loss in the final to the Dryden Eagles.
“Kenora played like their season could be over,” said Muskie head coach Jamie Davis, who was without two of his top-six forwards in Sully Shortreed and Cam Gushulak (both post-concussion syndrome), plus defenceman Mike Drouin (finger).
“It’s not necessarily what they did as opposed to what we weren’t doing,” he noted.
Fort High can make it nine-straight titles with a win in Game 2 tomorrow night in Kenora.
Game 3 (if necessary) will be back here Monday at 7:15 p.m. at the Ice For Kids Arena.
With rookie Carter Witherspoon up on their line in Shortreed’s absence, the Muskies’ top two point-getters showed up when needed most after a lacklustre first 40 minutes.
Chase McGuire tied the score at 6:33 of the third.
What originally was a 2-on-1 with Graeme Kitt turned into a solo dash that ended with a snazzy deke and a backhander by McGuire that trickled off the pad of Broncos’ goalie Noah Witzke and in.
“I got to the red line and I saw [the Broncos’ Connor McCardle] was just coming back up,” McGuire recalled about noticing McCardle had turned the wrong way and almost lost his balance.
“I just put on the burners and just went with it.”
A few minutes later, McGuire worked himself loose down low and centered the puck to Kitt, who got just enough on the shot to cross up Witzke for the game-winner.
“I was thinking pass but I saw Witzke had overcommitted,” said Kitt.
“It’s not my hardest shot ever but I think the off-speed shot fooled [Witzke].”
“Obviously, those were timely goals,” said Davis, who stressed the rally would not have occurred without an unlikely but motivated Muskie goal scorer taking on an uncharacteristic leading role early on.
Rookie forward Jake Clendenning opened the scoring at 3:04 when he snapped home McGuire’s centering pass.
Johnny Houlden’s deflection goal, followed by Ian McGillivray’s breakaway goal against Dylan Ossachuk just over a minute later, gave the Broncos a stunning 2-1 lead.
But Clendenning kept his team in the battle—tapping home a no-look backhand pass from Jon Busch, who made the play despite being pinned against the end boards.
“If it hadn’t been for his two, we’re down 3-0 going into the third,” said Davis.
Kitt called it the best game of Clendenning’s season, with McGuire adding, “He stepped up while Graeme and I were sinking to the bottom.”
The Muskies owned the play for most of the second but fell behind at 15:06 on a goal by Colton Yaremko.
Connor Tibbs misplayed a clear-in by McGillivray, with two Broncos bearing down on him in Zach Ridge and Yaremko.
Ridge stole the puck and tipped it over to Yaremko, who raced in and beat Ossachuk stick-side.
“It wasn’t Dylan’s best game but I don’t think anyone for us played their best game,” said Davis.
“We started well the first five minutes, then thought we could put it on cruise control,” he noted.
“It’s important to finish things off in Game 2,” Davis stressed.
“We need to be better for 60 minutes.”
The series winner advances to the OFSAA ‘A/AA’ championship March 7-10 in Ottawa.
