Bliss aware of OFSAA challenges

Head coach Shane Bliss has been behind the bench of the Muskie boys’ hockey team long enough to know that approaching the OFSAA tournament with anything more than cautious optimism may be a bad idea.
“These teams are all champions of their leagues, and they’ve all earned the right to be there,” said Bliss, whose team has been ranked eighth in the 20-team tournament that runs April 2-5 in Ottawa.
“Sometimes the rankings don’t mean all that much,” he remarked.
Making their fifth-straight appearance at the all-Ontarios, Bliss knows better than to assume a high ranking automatically will result in wins for the black-and-gold.
“We just need to make sure that we don’t see that we’re playing a low seed and expect to be handed a win,” he stressed.
The Muskies certainly know that fact firsthand. “One year we were ranked 18th or 19th, but we came within a goal of the semi-finals,” Bliss recalled.
But while the ranking may not mean much, experience does. Bliss is drawing confidence in knowing the Muskies are the only team in Pool ‘B’ who were at the tournament last year—giving many of his players a look at what to expect this time around.
“We are the only team in our pool from OFSAA last year,” said Bliss, whose squad is grouped with #3 A.B. Lucas Vikings (WOSSA), the #9 Grand River Renegades (CWOSSA), the #14 John McCrae Bulldogs (NCSSAA), and the #19 Ancaster Royals (SOSSA).
“That gives us the experience that some of the other teams might not have,” he remarked. “But it’s still a good pool.”
As first reported in yesterday’s Daily Bulletin, Fort High will open action Wednesday at 11 a.m. (CDT) against the Royals.
The Muskies then will play a pair of games Thursday, first meeting the Renegades at 11:15 p.m. (CDT). Then they’ll be back on the ice at 7 p.m. (CDT) to battle the Vikings.
Fort High will wrap up pool play next Friday at 7:30 a.m. (CDT) against the Bulldogs.
“Sometimes it’s nice to play those morning games,” noted Bliss. “We can catch teams napping.
“We just need to make sure that we’re awake, too.”
The Muskies will depart for the nation’s capital at noon on Sunday, and Bliss is well aware of what needs to be done.
“No matter what you’re ranked, you’ve got to go out and win,” he stressed.