Mitch Calvert
The Muskie boys’ hockey team has got its bite back.
After three-straight wins at a weekend tournament in Morden, Man., the black-and-gold carried that momentum into Kenora on Tuesday night as they beat the Broncos 6-4 to even their NorWOSSA record at 1-1.
“We played well and took it to them, but had trouble putting the puck in the net,” Muskie head coach Shawn Jourdain noted despite the six goals on the scoreboard.
“We had a lot of chances, played a lot in their zone and cycled the puck well, but we missed a lot of nets and could’ve had a few more.”
Adam Wensley, playing in his first league action after a stint with the Fort Frances Jr. Sabres, netted a goal and two assists playing alongside Devin Ball and Mike Jourdain.
Wensley assisted on Jourdain’s opening goal, then got one of his own shortly afterwards.
“He had a really good night, they picked him as player of the game,” Jourdain said of Wensley. “That line was our primary scoring unit Tuesday night, but there is even balance between the lines and we got contributions from all of them.”
Matt DiPiero, Brendan Cawston, and Cody McCool also scored for the Muskies while Devin Stromness earned the win in goal.
The Muskies resume NorWOSSA action this Friday and Saturday with a pair of games in Red Lake. The Rams pack their small rink for high school home games, which makes for an intimidating and hostile environment.
“It’s a tough place to play, so we’ll have to get a good start right out of the gates like we did against them in Morden [an 8-2 win last Friday],” Jourdain stressed.
“We’ll have to do the same things we did there, make sure we move the puck well, get it in deep and cycle, and create opportunities from there,” he added. “We were all over them right off the bat, and beat them to every puck and created chances that way.
“I think they’ll come to play, so we’ll have to be ready,” he warned.
