Joey Payeur
The weather wasn’t ideal but the scenario certainly was for Chris Sinclair.
With a number of players absent due to the FFHS Travel Club’s trip to Italy, the head coach of the Muskie boys’ soccer team seized the opportunity to give significant minutes to several of his non-starters during a pair of weekend exhibition games in Kenora.
Sinclair also planned to use the same strategy in his team’s NorWOSSA regular-season finales today against the Dryden Eagles and host Kenora Broncos.
That’s due to the Muskies (4-0) going into action already having clinched first place following a 1-0 shutout of the Eagles (0-3-1) and an 8-0 romp over the Broncos (0-3-1) last Wednesday in Dryden.
“In both games [this past weekend], everyone got a chance to play,” Sinclair said, referring to the Muskies’ 1-1 tie with the St. Thomas Aquinas Saints (Kenora) on Friday and then a 2-0 shutout of the Sioux Lookout Warriors on Saturday.
“It wasn’t necessarily important whether we won or lost the games,” he noted.
One of those who filled in was keeper Justin Angus, who won Sinclair’s praise for taking over for normal starter Cole Kowalski in Kenora.
“Justin did a fantastic job the whole weekend,” Sinclair lauded.
“St. Thomas Aquinas could have beat us with the chances they had but Justin came up with some big saves,” he noted.
James Gushulak tallied against the Saints, who scored in the final minute to salvage the draw.
“I think, with it being an exhibition game, we were lackadaisical at times,” Sinclair admitted.
“But we still controlled the play most of the game.”
Kevin Metke had both goals in the win over Sioux Lookout while Angus earned the shutout.
“I was impressed with both teams,” Sinclair said about the Muskies’ weekend opponents.
“They both had really good first touches and quite a number of good players.
“I think the tie against St. Thomas Aquinas was an eye-opener for the team that these teams can play even though they’re just an ‘A’ team [as opposed to Fort High being ‘AA’].
“Against Sioux Lookout, we played our game much better,” Sinclair added.
Meanwhile, the Muskies ran roughshod over the Broncos last Wednesday in Dryden, with Williams netting a hat trick.
Metke added a pair while Aaron Bujold, Tyler VanUden, and Cam Lidkea also tallied.
Kowalski posted his first of two shutouts for the day and has yet to allow a goal in four regular-season matches.
In the second game, the Muskies went toe-to-toe with an Eagles’ team bent on keeping Fort High’s scoring attack at bay.
But eventually it was Williams bulging the twine for the only goal of the game.
The Muskies prevailed despite Sinclair not being able to travel with the team due to the latest in a series of weekly one-day strikes stemming from the ongoing labour dispute between the local branch of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation and the Rainy River District School Board.
With Sinclair missing the games due to the ongoing labour dispute between local high school teachers and the public school board, assistant coach Kaleb Firth handled the sideline duties and liked what he saw.
“We controlled the ball possession in both games, but we must have hit three or four posts against Dryden,” he noted.
“The guys did a good job of spreading the field and working the ball around.”
Looking ahead, Sinclair is eager to dash any hopes by either Dryden or Kenora of toppling the Muskies come the NorWOSSA final May 25 in Dryden.
“Our biggest key right now is not giving them any momentum or hope,” he stressed.
“We want to stick to our game, control the ball, and polish a few things.”
