Canadian Tire drops marathon ‘A’ final

It went into overtime, then several rounds of a shootout. But when the dust finally settled, Canadian Tire (Fort Frances) was on the short end of a 2-1 score.
The ‘A’ final of the 10-team Bantam house league tournament here Sunday afternoon was a wild affair, with the South End Stars (Thunder Bay) skating home victorious.
“I have never seen such a game in my life,” noted Myrna Kraynyk-Cooper, whose son, Mark Buist, played goal for Canadian Tire.
Steven Pruys (assisted by Jeremy Johnson) had given Canadian Tire a 1-0 lead with 2:58 left in the first period but Jesse Slobojan (from Tim Stewart and Bradey Fox) tied the game early in the second.
And it stayed that way through the third period, overtime, and through an extended shootout until the Stars finally scored (the name of the goal scorer was not recorded).
Canadian Tire had advanced to the final with a 3-2 win over Red Lake in semi-final action earlier Sunday.
Red Lake had taken a 1-0 lead on a goal by David Weese but Matt Basaraba, assisted by Andrew Gerley and Tyler Pocock, knotted the score later in the first.
The teams traded goals late in the second period, with Pruys (Matthew Sisco) scoring for Canadian Tire and Paul Weese for Red Lake.
Then Basaraba (Jeremy Johnson) netted the lone goal of the third to give the Fort Frances squad the victory and a berth in the ‘A’ final.
Canadian Tire had opened the tourney Friday morning with a 3-1 win over the Emo Cowboys, jumping out to a 3-0 lead after two periods and then holding on for the victory.
Dan MacIntyre (Sisco), Pruys (unassisted), and Basaraba (Pruys) scored for Canadian Tire while Jeff Hyatt netted Emo’s lone goal.
Then Canadian Tire earned a 4-1 win against Petro Canada (Kenora) in their second pool game later Friday. Basaraba led the attack with two goals while Pocock added a goal and an assist.
Sisco netted their other goal, with Adam Hockett scoring Kenora’s lone marker.
But Canadian Tire hit a bump in their third game Saturday afternoon against the South End Stars, falling 4-1. Basaraba (Pocock) scored the Fort’s lone goal.
Jesse Slobojan (two), Tim Stewart, and Landin McFarlane scored the the Stars.
Meanwhile, the Fort Frances Oddfellows lost 4-1 in the ‘C’ final Sunday to the Dryden Senators.
The Oddfellows opened up the tournament with a 4-1 romp by Kenora Petro Canada. Later that same day there were also defeated 4-1 by Red Lake Esso.
On Saturday morning they played Kenora Predators and romped them 9-zip to put them in the ‘C’ semi-finals.
Holmlund’s, the third local team in the tournament, were winless in their four round-robin games, including a 3-1 loss to Red Lake Esso to open play Friday.
They also lost 9-0 to the South End Jr. Stars on Friday, 1-0 to the Dryden Senators on Saturday morning, and 2-1 versus the Emo Cowboys that afternoon.