Joey Payeur
The Dryden Eagles’ net resembled The Alamo on Monday night, with the visitors in the role of the undermanned Texans and the Muskies serving as the Mexican army.
Playing the part of Davy Crockett was a man not with a coonskin cap but a metallic mask.
Brady Desserre exemplified playing well over one’s head as the Eagles’ goalie held in long enough to allow his team to escape with a 3-1 win in Game 1 of their best-of-three NorWOSSA final at the Ice For Kids Arena.
Fort High now needs to win Game 2 tomorrow night in Dryden to extend the series to a third-and-deciding game back here, which has been shifted to Sunday (March 1) at 2:45 p.m. at the IFK Arena.
Desserre doesn’t sound like an Irish name but Muskie head coach Jamie Davis was certain he spotted a shamrock or two growing around Dryden’s crease.
“I wouldn’t say he was hot—lucky more than hot,” Davis said in disbelief after watching his team fire 38 shots at the Eagles’ net and hold a massive edge in puck possession from the second period on.
“We didn’t get enough traffic in front at the right times,” added Davis, whose team had finished atop the regular-season standings with a 14-1 record ahead of the second-place Eagles (11-4).
“That’s the pace we’ve got to play at all the time,” he stressed.
Dryden, who handed Fort High its only NorWOSSA loss back on Jan. 12, now has beat the Muskies in back-to-back meetings.
It was Desserre’s heroics—and the ability of those in front of him to capitalize on two untimely Muskie turnovers—that made the difference Monday night.
A fast-paced but scoreless first period, featuring a number of crunching checks delivered by both sides, was followed by a second stanza that saw the black-and-gold start to dictate the play with their speed.
But it was Dryden that struck first at the 7:32 mark after an innocent-looking shoot-in.
Muskie goalie Jordan Carlson came out of the net to poke the puck over to the left boards for Connor Tibbs to retrieve.
But with Zack Lugli motoring in behind him, Tibbs overskated the puck and left it for Lugli, who spied Matt Kellar trailing the play.
He delivered a pass right to the tape for Kellar, who fired a shot that may have went off a stick or body in front as it appeared to change direction before eluding Carlson.
The Muskies pressed for the equalizer but Desserre proved up to the challenge each time in thwarting the top goal-scoring squad in NorWOSSA this season.
He made a lunging glove stop on a deflection by Hunter Koles, then somehow robbed Chase McGuire later on with his pad—despite the fact he had his back to McGuire at the time.
Jarred Taylor then had two premium scoring chances that were denied by Desserre in the first five minutes of the third.
With the Muskies killing a Tyler VanUden head contact minor in what was the only penalty of the game, Taylor swept the puck just wide after taking a pass from McGuire.
Minutes later, Taylor had a clear-cut breakaway but his usual money-in-the-bank deke was turned away by Desserre with a flick of his pad.
Desserre then thwarted Koles again with 3:50 to go on a one-timer from in front, though Koles was adamant after the game that the puck caught the back bar of the net and came out again.
Less than a minute later, Cam Zappitelli picked off a Muskie clearing attempt around the boards.
He then feathered a pass instantly to Matthew Pitchenese, who lasered a shot over Carlson’s glove to make it 2-0 with 2:59 to play.
Fort High cut into the lead with Carlson on the bench for an extra attacker with 11.6 seconds left.
Taylor fed Graeme Kitt just across the Dryden blueline, who spotted Spencer Shortreed racing in from the point.
Shortreed stickhandled deftly around a defender before zipping the puck past Desserre.
But the Muskies could do nothing productive on the ensuing face-off, with Pitchenese sealing the victory with a 150-foot empty-netter a split second before the final buzzer.
“[Desserre] played a really good game and kept their team in it,” a dejected Shortreed said.
“We were hoping to get something but the bounces weren’t going our way.”
The Muskies also were again without rookie forward Kendyn Faragher (shoulder), with his return doubtful for Game 2 tomorrow night.
Meanwhile, a 35th trip to the OFSAA ‘AA’ championship, set for March 9-13 in Pembroke/Petawawa, won’t be in the cards for the Muskies without wins in their next two games.
“Obviously, that’s the goal,” said Davis.
“It was just one of those games. It happens.
“If everyone knew who was going to win ahead of time, why would we play?” he reasoned.
