Staff
The Fort Frances Canadians rebounded from an opening-night loss to win three-straight at a tournament in Grand Rapids, Mn. over the weekend.
The rally allowed the local Midget ‘AA’ team to capture the consolation final with a 2-1 win over the hosts.
The Canadians kicked off the tournament with a 3-1 loss to Moorhead.
Moorhead opened the scoring in the first when Ryan Meis tallied at 11:03.
Fort Frances didn’t respond until the third, when Tyler Fontana put one home at 14:46.
But Moorhead gained the edge with a pair of quick ones midway through the frame as Devin Johnson and Joseph Pink tallied just 12 seconds apart to blitz the Canadians.
The Canadians did outshoot Moorhead 32-20 on the night.
Fort Frances bit back in their second game, sinking the Superior Mariners 3-1.
Ryder Woolsey and DJ Bombay notched short-handed goals 19 seconds apart midway through the third to put the Canadians ahead 2-0.
Kyler Moss cut the lead to one a short while later, but Woolsey’s second of the game with five minutes to go provided insurance for the Canadians, who outshot Superior 31-16.
Fort Frances then advanced to the consolation final with a 4-2 win over Wessy’s Boys (Minneapolis).
Wessy’s Boys got on the board early as Alex Carter tallied on a power-play at 15:10, but Ryan Lundy evened things up midway through the period.
Drew Casey helped Wessy’s Boys regain the lead late in the frame, but it was all Fort Frances from then on in.
Bombay knotted the affair midway through the second before Woolsey gave Fort Frances its first lead at 4:29.
Brett Bodnarchuk capped off the scoring with 50 seconds to go in the second.
Each team registered 18 shots.
In the consolation final, the Canadians blitzed Grand Rapids’ Ryan Larson with 38 shots, but only two beat him as Fort Frances emerged with the 2-1 victory.
Brady McMahon tallied at 5:07 of the first while Dylan Grinsell notched the eventual game-winner at 3:28 of the second.
Scott Black beat Fort Frances goalie James Wallin with 1:21 to play but the Canadians didn’t allow another to hang on for the win.
Those two teams will face off again this Friday (Feb. 19) at 7 p.m. at the ’52 Canadians Arena in exhibition action.
