Joey Payeur
The smile on the captain’s face, the satisfaction in the coach and best friend’s eye, the quivering of the leading scorer’s lip.
And, most certainly, the pride in the daughter’s heart.
They were all signs Scott Clendenning was there in spirit—and the main reason the NorWOSSA girls’ hockey crown remained property of the Muskies for a third-straight year.
The black-and-gold will go for their second-straight OFSAA medal, after last year’s inaugural silver showing, following a 4-2 victory over the Dryden Eagles in Game 3 of the NorWOSSA final Sunday afternoon at the Ice For Kids Arena.
Fort High will try to make that final step to the top of the podium March 8-10 in Stratford—ironically, the home of the St. Michael Warriors, who beat the Muskies 5-1 in the OFSAA gold-medal final last year in Kenora.
Clendenning’s guidance was the backbone of the Muskies’ first two championship runs before he died of a heart attack last March while on holiday in Mexico, just four days after leading the program to its greatest heights yet.
Todd Hamilton stepped up from his assistant’s position to take over for the man who not only was a former teammate on the 1986 Muskie boys’ provincial championship squad but who was like a brother to him.
“We had downplayed talking about Scott all season to try and keep our emotions in check instead of having that become the focus instead of hockey,” noted Hamilton.
“But today before the game, we talked about him with the team and there were some tears, including myself,” he added.
“It was nice to let ourselves remember him . . . it let us remember a great friend and coach and we wanted this for him.”
Muskie captain Rachel Jean, whose team killed all seven Eagles’ power plays in Game 3, made no bones about the fact her old coach’s memory was fuel for their fire.
“We did it for him,” she beamed.
Rylee Redford scored on a one-timer off a centering pass from Siobhan Mackintosh just 1:59 into Sunday’s game against Eagles’ goalie Hannah Zilkalns, who got the start over Grade 12 veteran Jacquie Grandmont after the latter was pulled in the first period of each of the first two games of the series.
“I think Rylee was really keying on the fact this could be her last game and it lit a fire under her butt,” chuckled Jean.
Then the Muskies’ top point-getter the past two seasons made her presence felt.
Annalise Hayes took a pinpoint pass from Lauren Vold and scored a terrific top-shelf backhand goal off a power-play rush at 18:30 for a 2-0 lead.
Janelle Kaemingh then scored at 14:26 of the second thanks to intense forechecking by Taylor Croswell, who forced Dryden to turn the puck over behind the net and led to Lauren Hamilton’s perfect no-look pass onto the stick of Kaemingh in front.
The Eagles, beset by injuries throughout the series, started the game with only 12 skaters but wound up giving the Muskies fits in the third period.
Leah Balla made it 3-1 when she scored from the right side of the net at 8:53.
Then with 1:53 to go and Zilkalns on the bench for an extra attacker, Darra Zieroth circled all the way around the Muskie net, moved in front, and backhanded a shot through a maze of bodies and past Muskie goalie Sydney Beck to cut the deficit to one.
But that was as close as the Eagles would come.
Hayes sealed the deal with an empty-netter with 21 seconds left after a terrific shot block by Vold.
But the usually tough-as-nails Grade 10 only nodded when asked if she thought Clendenning was proudly looking over his legacy, with Hayes doing all she could not to break down.
Such was not the case for forward Jenna Clendenning, who had no hesitation when asked about her dad’s impact.
“He definitely was watching over us and that gave us a little motivation,” nodded the youngest of the three Clendenning sisters, who now own five NorWOSSA gold medals combined.
“We definitely showed we’re totally capable of winning gold this year at OFSAA, and to win it in St. Mike’s own building would make it extra special,” she added.
The series went to Game 3 after Dryden had earned a 6-5 overtime win at home in Game 2 on Friday.
Dryden led 5-4 after the opening period, with Clendenning, Jean, Redford, and Emma Noga all scoring for the Muskies.
Noga tied it at 9:56 of the second.
But Zieroth closed out a hat trick at 5:04 of overtime when her shot accidently was redirected behind Beck by Muskie blueliner Moriah Carradice.
“It all happened so fast, I’m not sure what happened,” a relieved Carradice said after Sunday’s win.
“I’m just glad we got a chance to come back today.”
The whole season had a distinct country flavour to it.
Redford, Kaemingh, Croswell, and Beck, along with veteran blueliner Avery Cates and rookie forward Reece McQuaker, all are Emo natives and made sure to take a group photo during the post-game festivities.
“We call them ‘The Emo Express,’” Hamilton said about the group.
“They were well-coached in Emo all those years and they bring a lot of depth to the team,” he noted.
“This is really exciting,” said McQuaker, the lone Grade 9 on the team who sat for the first two games for the most part, along with first-year linemates Hanna LeDrew and Kelsey Langtry, until the trio got a more regular shift in Game 3.
“It was tough waiting our turn,” she admitted. “But then, I never thought I would make the team as a Grade 9.”
Beck, who had huge skates to fill as a rookie after both of last year’s starting goalies in Kate Parsons and Calie Clendenning graduated, was the hardest on herself after giving up a season-worst five goals in the first period of Game 2.
“I went in the room and sat by myself,” she recalled.
“I knew I had to go out there and do better.”
The Muskies now will see if they have what it takes to finish the business they couldn’t last year at OFSAA.
“Hopefully, this is our year to finish first,” said Hayes.
“It would be a nice payback if we could do it in the Warriors’ own rink,” she noted.
The Muskies’ ranking and schedule for OFSAA was unavailable as of press time.
