Different week, different team Muskie boys reel off three wins in Dryden

What a difference a week makes.
The Muskie boys’ soccer team couldn’t come close to a win at a tournament in Winnipeg just over a week ago. But last weekend, they couldn’t find a way to lose as they cruised to a 3-0 record at a NorWOSSA exhibition tourney in Dryden.
And the black-and-gold will be looking for similar results when they head back to Dryden for another tournament tomorrow and Friday.
They will face a tough Beaver Brae lineup tomorrow at noon, followed by a game against Red Lake at 4:30 p.m. They’ll wrap up their three-game series with St. Thomas Aquinas (Kenora) at 1:30 p.m. on Friday.
“Beaver Brae will be the most skilled team, the most talented,” said Muskie head coach Keith Gilbert. “They’re the ones who play with the most control.
“That will be our test. We have to play our best game.”
Gilbert said the key for the Muskies will be to capitalize on their chances and play well on the defensive side of the field. If they do that, he said, they have a good shot at continuing their win streak.
A win against Beaver Brae also would go a long way in boosting a confidence level that skyrocketed after the three wins last weekend. And with each victory, the Muskies’ play seemed to get better and better.
They opened action Friday morning with a narrow 2-1 victory over the host Dryden Eagles in penalty kicks.
Tied 1-1 after regulation time, Adam McTavish and Steve Keesic both nailed their kicks past the Eagle keeper while Dryden missed their first two attempts to give the Muskies the victory.
Keesic had opened the scoring for the black-and-gold in the 12th minute but the Eagles knotted things up with a goal on a direct kick three minutes into the second half.
The Muskies had several quality scoring chances the rest of the way but just couldn’t finish them off with a goal.
“We had three or four really good chances, Barry Selin had two of them,” Gilbert said on the sidelines after their final game Saturday. “But Dryden didn’t have their best game, they are a young team.”
Muskie assistant coach Jason Kabel agreed they “controlled most of the game” with the exception of about 10 minutes in each half.
The Muskies continued to play well in their end in a 1-0 win against a pesky Rainy River team later Friday.
Part of the reason for the close score could have been the work ethic of the Owls, who came after the Muskies with a strong forecheck. Kabel felt they “ran harder” than his squad.
Jamie Algie saved the Muskies from heading into their second-straight overtime game when he scored the eventual game-winner with about five minutes to play in regulation time.
The narrow victory set the stage for the Muskies’ best game of the season so far–a 4-1 triumph over the Sioux Lookout Warriors on Saturday afternoon.
Keesic and Dave Egan both scored in the first half as the black-and-gold grabbed a 2-1 lead at the break. Then they iced the game on Egan’s second goal of the game midway through the half and on a late one by McTavish.
The second half was clearly dominated by the Muskies, who often were first to the ball and had a bevy of chances to score from in close.
“We finished very strong,” said Kabel. “It was our best game of the season and we’ve progressively gotten better–I’m excited.”