Jamie Mountain
The Muskie boys’ hockey team has lived to fight another day.
Facing a must-win situation, the black-and-gold bounced back with a 6-0 shutout of the host Sioux Lookout Warriors last night to even their best-of-three NorWOSSA final at a game apiece.
The third-and-deciding game goes tomorrow (March 6) at 7:15 p.m. at the Ice For Kids Arena, with the winner advancing to the all-Ontarios on March 19-23 in Collingwood.
The Muskie got six different goal scorers last night in Connor Nelson, Kaleb Bruyere, Jon Busch, Dayton Labbe, Reed Bodnar, and call-up Matt Spence.
Darian Klem earned the shutout.
It was a much different story for Fort High in Game 1 here Thursday night.
Cortez Favot scored four times, including the game-winner in overtime, to the lead the Warriors to a thrilling 5-4 victory.
Favot opened the scoring just 4:40 into the first period when he snapped a shot past Klem.
Bruyere drew the Muskies even when he tipped a Bodnar shot past Warriors’ goalie Jayden Marshall at 15:48 to make it 1-1 after 20 minutes.
Brett Martin put Sioux Lookout ahead 2-1 at 6:04 of the second when he floated a seeing-eye shot from the point past Klem.
Mikel Ward then knotted it 2-2 with 1:09 left in the frame.
But the Muskies got caught running around their own zone and the Warriors were able to capitalize on wild goal-mouth scramble in which Favot tucked one over Klem just seven seconds before intermission to put them ahead 3-2.
Bruyere drew the black-and-gold even yet again 5:02 into the third when he beat Marshall five-hole.
Favot then completed his hat trick at 15:02, dangling around a Muskie defender before
walking in and beating Klem with a well-placed shot to give Sioux Lookout another lead at 4-3.
Fort High proved to be resilient once again, however, when Bodnar beautifully-tipped a shot by Bruyere past Marshall to force overtime with 2:02 to go.
But Favot finally put the game to bed when he skated wide down the right wing, cut towards the Muskie goal, and fired the winner past a dejected Klem just under three minutes into the extra frame.
Marshall earned the win while Klem was tagged with the loss.
The Muskie girls’ hockey team, meanwhile, is the cream of the crop in NorWOSSA yet again.
Captain Annalise (CC) Hayes and Siobhan Mackintosh each notched a pair of goals to pace the black-and-gold to a 5-1 win over the host Dryden Eagles on Friday night to sweep their best-of-three final.
It was the fifth-straight league title for the Muskies, who now advance to the all-Ontarios on March 21-23 in Timmins.
Jenna Clendenning also added a trio of helpers in the win.
Hayes opened the scoring just 1:39 into the first period before Cali Lappage knotted it 1-1 at 8:20.
Hayes regained Fort High’s lead at the eight-minute mark of the second frame to make it 2-1.
Mackintosh then netted a pair of goals exactly three minutes apart before Reece McQuaker capped the scoring with just under a minute to go.
Kamryn Sandelovich earned the win while Hannah Zilkalns took the loss.
The Muskies had opened the series with a 4-1 win over the Eagles on Wednesday night at the Ice For Kids Arena.
