Muskie boys finish fourth in Winnipeg

Whether it was relating to their own game or someone else’s, the Muskie boys’ hockey team didn’t have much to smile about.
The black-and-gold came within an open net of advancing to the championship final of the Winnipeg High School Hockey League Tournament of Champions, but had to settle for fourth place after a 3-2 loss to the Oak Park Raiders in the bronze-medal game yesterday afternoon.
Justin McDonald’s second-period power-play goal was the difference as the Raiders outshot the Muskies 30-27. Zacharias Gulyas had the other two Oak Park goals while Mike Niskala and Brian White replied for Fort High.
In overtime of their semi-final game against the Carman Cougars, Muskie Tyler Miller’s shot went just wide of the empty cage, and the miss came back to haunt the locals as Aaron Lewadniuk scored his second of the game at 6:47 of the extra session to lift the Cougars to a 4-3 victory.
Scott Vanderveen and Johnathon Dueck had the other Carman tallies while Mitch Green, Steven Sus, and Kurtis Wepruk did the damage for Fort High.
The Muskies finished in second place in Pool East during the round-robin with a 2-1 record.
They dropped a 6-2 decision to King’s Edgehill School (Windsor, N.S.) in their opener Thursday before winning by forfeit over the St. John’s-Ravenscourt Eagles later that day due to tragic circumstances.
As initially reported in Friday’s Daily Bulletin, the Eagles led 1-0 after two periods, but withdrew upon receiving word that 16-yearold Travis Price, from their junior varsity team, died in a game earlier that afternoon at another rink.
The player came to the bench during the first period, collapsed, and died of what the local medical examiner’s office listed as natural causes that were cardiac-related.
The senior Eagles subsequently withdrew from the tournament of Champions and were replaced by John Taylor School (Winnipeg).
The Muskies clinched a berth in the ‘A’ side semi-finals with a 3-2 win over the River East Kodiaks on Friday night.
Terry Kellar, Tyler Miller, and Greg Flewelling all scored for the Muskies in that one.
Terrific tie Meanwhile, a long-standing run of frustration finally came to an end for the Muskie girls’ hockey team Friday night as they managed a 5-5 tie with the defending Nor- WOSSA champion Kenora Broncos at the ’52 Canadians Arena.
The single point ended an 18- game regular-season losing streak for Fort High (now 0-6-1 in the 2003-04 season), who only had 13 skaters available for the game.
And had it not been for a gritty Broncos team fighting back late in the third period, the game could have been the Muskies’ first Nor- WOSSA regular-season victory since Jan. 19, 2001—a span of 26 games.
Hannah Firth scored twice, with Kristin Roehrig, Katie McTavish, and Kerry Hyatt adding singles for the black-and-gold, who led 5-2 in the third before Kenora scored three times in the final five minutes of regulation time to pull out the tie.
Kimber Carlson had a pair for the Broncos, with Riley Edwards, Anna Percy, and Amy McQuoid adding singles.
Fort High then lost 3-1 to the St.
Thomas Aquinas Saints in exhibition play in Kenora yesterday (the goal scorers were not available at press time), but they may have gained three much-needed new players.
Darcy Smith, who played for the Muskies two of the past three seasons, and her younger sister, Teresa, played in yesterday’s game along with noted Muskie basketball and soccer player Rebecca Cornell in a tryout situation.
A decision on their status with the team should be forthcoming this week.
The girls’ squad heads to Dryden to challenge the Eagles in Nor- WOSSA action tonight. They next will play Feb. 6 in Emo and Feb. 7 at the Ice for Kids Arena, when the Saints travel here for a two-game exhibition rematch.
The Muskie boys are slated to battle the visiting Lake of the Woods Bears (Baudette) in exhibition play tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. at the Ice for Kids Arena.