Staff
The local Knights of Columbus PeeWee ‘AA’ hockey team had a near flawless showing at its home tournament over the weekend, just falling short of the title with a 4-2 loss to the KC Sabres (Thunder Bay) in the final.
Fort Frances actually led 2-0, backstopped by solid goaltending from Mark Loveday, but the Sabres refused to roll over and battled back to take the lead in the third before icing the tourney crown with an empty-net goal.
“Although you’re disappointed you lost, it was a great tournament,” Knights’ coach Mike Allison said. “We’ve really stressed being together as a group, and everyone played really well.
“Having to pick a star of the game each time was really difficult,” he added. “And give the team from Thunder Bay credit, they bottled us up pretty good and came back at us after we got the lead.”
The Knights opened the tournament Friday with a 7-3 win over Dryden, getting two goals (including the game-winner) off the stick of Jack Hamilton. Tyler Mosbeck added two goals and two assists.
Then they trounced Red Lake 12-0, getting hat-tricks from Ahwennaseh Mitchell and Jared Bethune while Dustin Chalupsky added a goal and three assists.
The Knights next faced their stiffest test in the form of their rivals from Kenora, earning a narrow 2-1 win.
Bethune got both goals while Allison said Hunter Leishman was a key cog in the game, contributing an assist.
The locals advanced to Sunday’s final with a 5-2 win over the Norwest Stars (Thunder Bay) in the semi-finals, getting two goals and an assist from Brody McPherson, as well as a beauty of a shorthanded goal by Chandler Cousineau.
Brandon Bodnar was solid between the pipes in the victory.
“They’ve really come together as a group and that’s not always what happens,” Allison remarked.
The Knights also earned a spot in the final of a tournament in Thief River Falls, Mn. earlier this month, facing a previously-undefeated team from Mandan, Nd. and winning 4-2. Loveday was sharp, turning away 40 shots.
The Knights are off to Cloquet, Mn. for a tournament this weekend.
