Staff
Both Muskie hockey teams have hit the skids late in the season.
The girls’ squad was doubled 4-2 in NorWOSSA action Friday night in Kenora while the boys were mangled 5-1 in exhibition play by host International Falls.
In Kenora, Fort High fell behind 1-0 early but quickly evened things up on Nicole Beadle’s tally.
The Broncos wrangled the lead again as the Muskies ran into some penalty trouble, but Jillian Langtry netted one to tie things at 2-2.
Kenora then made it 3-2 before the period was through.
After the five-goal outburst in the first, the teams played scoreless hockey right up until the end, when Kenora banged a rebound past Muskie goalie Dana Cridland with about two minutes to go in the third.
The loss was Fort High’s second at the hands of the Broncos in less than a week. They coughed up a 4-2 lead heading into the third period on Feb. 13, eventually dropping a 6-5 decision.
The recent struggles against Kenora are bad news for the Muskies given the two teams will meet in the first round of the NorWOSSA playoffs, which begins this Friday night in Kenora (Feb. 26).
Game 2 will go here Sunday afternoon here, with Game 3 (if necessary) back in Kenora next Tuesday night (March 2).
The Muskie boys, meanwhile, also have hit a late-season rut, losing three-straight after Friday night’s exhibition loss in the Falls.
Fort High opens the NorWOSSA playoffs here Friday night against the fourth-place Red Lake Rams, whom the Muskies pasted by a combined 35-2 score over their four regular-season meetings.
Dryden and Kenora will meet in the other semi-final series.
