Canadians finish season on winning note

After opening with a loss, the Fort Frances Midget ‘AA’ Canadians went undefeated the rest of the way to win the ‘B’-side crown at the Assiniboine Park Rangers tournament in Winnipeg last weekend.
The Canadians were all over Hudson, Wis. right from the opening face-off of Sunday afternoon’s final, opening up a 3-0 lead after the first period on goals by Jeff Savage (two) and Steve Niskala.
They didn’t let up in the second, increasing their lead to 5-0 on a pair of goals by Josh Baxter. Then Baxter, completing his hat trick, and Adam Sus scored in the final frame to ice the 7-2 win and the ‘B’ crown.
Assistant coach Greg Tighe said the team got better as the tournament wore on, adding their key players rose to the occasion in the big games. He noted they were especially solid on defence in the final.
“As the tournament progressed, our play also progressed and we really came together as a team,” said Tighe. “We had two real good efforts from Savage and Baxter.
“Jeff Savage is a very, very quick skater, who has good knowledge with the puck, while Baxter is a good skater and he is also real good with the puck,” he added.
The Canadians started the tournament on a losing note, dropping a 5-2 decision to the Apple Valley Muskies on Friday afternoon. The squad appeared to be caught flat-footed on several Muskie goals, including two short-handed ones, but they quickly got back on track in their next three games.
Boomer Redford and Savage scored in a losing cause.
The Canadians then met the Flosco (Wis.) Flyers on Friday night and skated away with a narrow 7-6 victory. Savage led the way with four goals while Sus, Baxter, and Josh McAndrew added singles.
But as close as that win was, their next game was a lopsided 15-0 victory over Nipigon that put them in the ‘B’ final. It was basically all over after the first 10 minutes when the Canadians jumped out to a 5-0 lead.
Savage netted another four-goal performance while Baxter also tallied for times to pace the Canadians in that game. Brennan Kilmister and Sus each had two goals apiece while Redford, Eric Zacharias, and McAndrew also scored.
Nathan Svoboda and Adrian Indian shared the shutout in goal.
Tighe said the Canadians benefited from getting out to fast offensive starts in their wins, then rode the strong play of their five-man defensive rotation of Zacharias, Clint Pruys, Travis Alexander, Merv Rose, and Redford.
The Canadians wrapped up the season with a 22-12 record, including 10-10 in tournament games. And Tighe predicted the team should improve even more in their second season.
“The program is only going to get better next year,” he enthused.