Joey Payeur
For the seven players who had skated their last stride with the Muskie girls’ hockey team, it was a close call as to what was the more overwhelming feeling.
There was the pain of coming up one win short in their bid for a first-ever OFSAA ‘A/AA’ crown after falling 5-1 to the top-seeded St. Michael Warriors (Stratford) in the gold-medal game last Thursday afternoon in Kenora.
But there also was the groundswell of pride in knowing the squad had just earned its first OFSAA medal in the program’s 15-year history.
“We accomplished something great this season,” said Grade 12 blueliner and assistant captain Mallory Payne, whose face was one of many etched in tears after leaving every last ounce of energy on the ice.
“Every single one of our seniors had contributions to being a leader on this team, not just those with an ‘A’ or a ‘C’ on their jerseys,” she added, referring to the impending graduates including herself and fellow blueliner Alexis Perreault, along with captain Amy Penner and fellow forwards Jessica Coran and Kaily Greengrass, as well as goalies Kate Parsons and Calie Clendenning.
“They helped keep the momentum up when it was needed.”
Parsons echoed Payne’s thoughts.
“We persevered through everything this year and went over, under, and around it all,” stressed Parsons, who surrendered four difficult-to-stop goals before being pulled at 5:30 of the second period with Fort High trailing 4-0.
“I can’t put to words what it feels like now that it’s over.”
Coran thought her high school playing career had ended weeks ago when she had an emergency appendectomy that seemed certain to keep her on the shelf for the rest of the season.
But the ultra-fast winger decided she was going to be the one to determine her final chapter, not a health issue.
“At first, I thought I was done,” conceded Coran, who missed the Muskies’ run to their second-straight NorWOSSA title but was back on her usual line with Penner and first-year forward Annalise Hayes for the first game at OFSAA.
“But as time went on, I knew I was coming back,” she remarked.
“There was no way I was not coming back,” Coran stressed. “As a kid, it was a dream to get to play on this team and to have it actually work out that way is something special.”
St. Michael, made up of a collection of Midget ‘AAA’ players from different teams, was an unstoppable force throughout the tournament.
They went 6-0 while outscoring their opponents 41-1.
But that one came at the hands of the Muskies, who trailed 5-0 with the clock winding down in the third.
Penner passed to Coran, who then centered to Hayes for a quick shot that beat Warriors’ goalie Rebecca Ropp with 3:30 to go.
All five players on the ice had an exuberant group hug, as did the entire Fort High bench.
“That was our goal, in between the second and third period, was that we wanted to get at least one and we did,” said Penner, who led the team in scoring at OFSAA.
But Hayes, who scored the game-winner with 2:15 left in the third in a thrilling 4-3 semi-final victory over the 13th-ranked Timmins Blues the previous night, wasn’t in much of a mood to celebrate her achievement.
“I don’t know what I’m feeling,” she admitted in a disappointed tone.
“[St. Michael] had a few lucky bounces today, and they were fast and strong and had some good shots.”
Neve Van Pelt’s one-timer at 10:04 of the first was followed by Kiernyn Campbell scoring off a scramble 2:44 later during a Warriors’ power play.
In the second, Lexi Templeman busted loose on a breakaway and used a lightning-fast backhand-to-forehand deke to put the puck over Parsons’ glove.
Bridgid Goris then deflected a point shot past a screened Parsons to end her and bring Clendenning on in relief.
Van Pelt built the St. Michael lead further with a bullet under the crossbar from the left face-off circle at 11:19 to round out the Warriors’ scoring.
Muskie head coach Scott Clendenning was brimming with accolades for his troops.
“We will take the silver,” he said.
“It’s been a great year and this is a great group of kids.”
Clendenning particularly lauded his departing seniors for what they brought to the program during their tenure.
“They’re a special group of players who have been with me for four years,” he noted.
“It’s going to be tough to see them go,” he added.
“You coach them for four years and you build relationships with them in that time.”
The last word went to Penner.
“It’s good to be able to say that we fought until the end,” said the veteran while fulfilling her captain’s duties one last time.
“The last four years have made a big difference in my life.”
