Lucas Punkari
For the ninth-straight year, the Muskie boys’ hockey team is heading to the all-Ontario championships.
The black-and-gold captured the NorWOSSA crown—their sixth-consecutive and eighth in the last nine years—with a 6-1 win over the host Kenora Broncos on Saturday night to complete a two-game series sweep.
“It feels pretty good to win it again,” said second-year Muskie Tarran Romyn.
“I knew coming into the season that it wasn’t going to be easy, so I was a bit surprised that we were able to not only sweep Kenora but also sweep Dryden in the semi-finals last weekend,” he noted.
“But over the course of the year, we really came together as a team and that was a huge help for us, especially in the final,” he added.
The Muskies scored three times in the first and second periods Saturday night, with Nick Jourdain leading the way with a pair of goals.
Chris Bobczynski, Cole Godbout, Nick Kaun, and Jeff Davis added singles.
“What really stood out for me in that game was just how fast we were going out there,” Romyn recalled.
“We were making our passes out there all game long, and our power play was just unbelievable, and we were able to create a lot of plays as a result of that,” he noted.
“We were just able to work together as a team,” said forward Hunter Leishman.
“And even though we won by a big margin, it was still pretty exciting out there and really fun to play in a game like that,” he added.
The Muskie offence also was firing on all eight cylinders during the first two periods of the series-opener here Friday night as Fort High cruised to a 5-1 victory.
“Those first 40 minutes were the best two periods that we have played all [season] long,” Muskie head coach Shawn Jourdain enthused afterwards.
“We were able to do all of the little things right that we have been working on in practice lately, and the guys were able to take advantages of their opportunities.
“We sure out-chanced them in this game, and we were also able to create a lot of 3-on-2 rushes,” he added.
First-year forward Braden Webb led the way offensively with a pair of goals, continuing his hot play in the post-season thanks to his recent teaming up with Kaun and Jourdain on the team’s “red line.”
“On our line, we all seem to know each other right away and we are always looking out there to find each other,” Webb explained.
“Kaun’s a hard-working grinder out there and [Jourdain’s] got a ton of speed that he uses a lot to make those passes.
“And when the boys work hard, everything starts to go our way and we are able to create a lot of chances in the slot,” he reasoned.
“There is definitely some chemistry there with us already,” added Kaun, who also is the team’s captain.
“I’ve been playing with ‘Jordy’ for the last few years, and it’s always been the ‘Nick and Nick’ show it seems,” he admitted.
“But now we got Webb in there, who is a great guy and he is able to read the ice very well.”
Jourdain, Bobczynski, and Robbie Rea also scored in Friday’s triumph.
That win in Game 1 also meant the black-and-gold finished their league schedule at the Ice For Kids Arena with a perfect record, with their lone blemish coming in an exhibition game against the
International Falls Broncos last month.
“I think that just shows how hard we were working this year to accomplish our main goals,” said goalie Scott Parsons.
“A lot of the guys who are back from last year’s team were really determined to go back to OFSAA this year, and a lot of the younger guys are just so excited about heading there now, and that made everyone become motivated,” he reasoned.
The Muskies went winless at OFSAA last year in Toronto, which was a massive disappointment for a program that has won the provincial title three times.
“Last year I think the guys treated it more like a vacation,” Romyn admitted.
“We did play well at times, but we played nothing at all like we did leading up to the all-Ontarios.
“This year, though, we are all taking it a lot more seriously and things are going to be a lot different,” he vowed.
“We’re a little more experienced team than the one that went to OFSAA last year, which will help us out a lot, I think, this year,” stressed Kaun.
“We just need to play our game that has gotten us this far this year, and if we do that, I think we should be fine,” he added.
As well, the Muskies will be competing at the ‘A/AA’ level this year, which will take place March 21-24 in Peterborough, after being in the ‘AAA/AAAA’ division the past several trips.
