Joey Payeur
For the black-and-gold, it just never gets old–whether it’s a repeat winner or a first-time champion.
The Muskie girls’ hockey team reaffirmed its standing as the standard bearer of excellence by winning its fourth-straight NorWOSSA title with a convincing 7-2 victory over the host St. Thomas Aquinas Saints last night in Kenora to sweep the best-of-three final.
It also means another trip to Stratford, which will host the OFSAA ‘A/AA’ girls’ provincial championship for a second-straight year from March 21-24.
“I was just as nervous before tonight as I was before the first one,” laughed Grade 12 veteran forward and assistant captain Lauren Hamilton, who has three league titles in three years with the team now coached by her dad, Todd.
“The feelings never go away.”
It was just as thrilling for rookie defenceman Lillie MacKinnon, who got caught up in her initial experience of wearing NorWOSSA gold and lifting the championship trophy.
“I don’t think there’s words to describe this feeling,” beamed the Grade 11 blueliner, one of three new rearguards on this year’s squad.
“You and your team bond all season, and now we get the chance to represent our league down there,” MacKinnon added.
Coach Hamilton, whose team had to go the distance in last year’s league final against the Dryden Eagles, said the pre-game message to the Muskies was clear.
“The coaches told them, ‘It’s up to you, it’s your time to show what you can really do,'” he noted.
The Muskies, who went 14-1 during the regular season and then 4-0 in the playoffs, found themselves tied 1-1 after 20 minutes last night as Siobhan Mackintosh’s power-play goal was countered by Shania White’s equalizer.
Jenna Clendenning opened the floodgates for a four-goal second period by going five-hole on Saints’ goalie Sarah From after a great pass from Taylor Croswell.
Muskie captain Janelle Kaemingh made it two goals in 1:13 with another power-play marker for a 3-1 lead.
Another quick double strike came later in the frame as Annalise Hayes and Reece McQuaker tallied 57 seconds apart to make it 5-1 and effectively end the third-place Saints’ thoughts of extending the series to a third-and-deciding game.
Katie Marcine’s power-play goal pulled St. Thomas Aquinas to within three just 57 seconds into the third.
But Mackintosh, who missed Friday night’s 4-2 win in Game 1 after being hospitalized due to illness, notched her second goal of the game from almost the exact same spot right in front of the net.
Hayes then lifted the puck over a down-and-out From for her second marker of the night and team-leading fourth of the series.
Kamryn Sandelovich, one of two Grade 9s on the Muskie roster, turned in a solid night’s work between the pipes to earn the victory.
The seedings and schedule for OFSAA will be released in the upcoming days.
Meanwhile, the Muskie boys’ team are going go for a sweep of their best-of-three NorWOSSA final against St. Thomas Aquinas.
Fort High, who downed the Saints 5-2 in Game 1 here Sunday afternoon, and can win its 10th-straight league crown with a victory either tonight in Game 2 in Kenora or in Game 3 (if necessary) on Thursday at 1:15 p.m. back at the Ice For Kids Arena.
Both teams already are assured berths at the OFSAA ‘A/AA’ boys’ championship March 21-23 because the Muskies automatically made it as the host team.
