The Muskie boys’ hockey team earned a spot in the quarter-finals after beating fifth-ranked Michael Power (Etobicoke) 6-3 in the all-Ontario boys’ championship this afternoon in the Ice for Kids Arena.
Tyler Miller, Kevin Bobczynski, and Lucas Romaniuk all scored first period goals to make it 3-3 after one.
Then after a scoreless second period, Miller netted a pair of goals to complete his hat trick while Brian White also tallied to round out the scoring.
The Muskies now will face the third-ranked Grand River Renegades, who finished first in Pool ‘C’ with a 4-0 record, tonight at 8 p.m.
The black-and-gold kept their playoff hopes alive with a 3-1 win over 20th-ranked St. Matthew’s here last night.
They had lost 4-2 to the 13th-ranked Uxbridge Tigers earlier in the day in Emo after opening with a wild 9-9 tie against the fourth-ranked Birchmount Park Panthers on Wednesday.
“I think [the Muskies] have new life,” head coach Shane Bliss said after last night’s win.
“I would be the happiest man in the world if we get the opportunity to play here [Friday night] in the quarter-finals,” he added.
After a scoreless first period, a fired-up Fort High came out in the second and tallied all three of their goals off the sticks of Andrew Easton, Jake Esselink, and Bobczynski.
St. Matthew netted its lone goal later in the period.
Dave Moen was solid between the pipes to preserve the much-needed victory for the Muskies.
Brock Benjamin was back after serving his game misconduct when the Muskies played Uxbridge earlier in the day.
Uxbridge already has clinched a berth in the quarter-finals, as have the topped-ranked St. Michael’s College Blues, second-seeded Mount Carmel Crusaders, and third-ranked Grand River Renegades.
The Dryden Eagles finished tied for last place in Pool ‘C’ with a 0-3-1 record while the Kenora Broncos, playing in Pool ‘A,’ were winless in three tries going into their final pool game today.
The quarter-finals get underway at 6 p.m. tonight with the top team from Pool ‘A’ playing the second-place team in Pool ‘B’.
The Pool ‘B’ winner meets the second-place team from Pool ‘A’ at 6:30 p.m.
The top team from Pool ‘D’ plays the second-place team from Pool ‘C’ at 8:30.
The semi-finals go tomorrow with the winner of A1 vs. B2 meeting the winner of D1 vs. C2 at 9 a.m., followed by the winner of B1 vs. A2 squaring off against the winner of C1 vs. D2 at 11 a.m.
The bronze-medal game is slated for Saturday at 6 p.m., with the gold-medal game going at 8 p.m.
All games Saturday are at the Ice for Kids Arena.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
