Joey Payeur
The Muskie girls’ hockey team didn’t end 2013 on a winning note, but had a much happier start to the New Year.
Amy Penner set up Shilo Beck for the equalizer in the third period, then netted the game-winner almost three minutes later, as the black-and-gold rallied from a 2-1 deficit to beat the Northfield (Mn.) Raiders 3-2 yesterday to capture bronze in the “Red” division of the annual Schwan Cup tournament in Blaine, Mn.
Brynn Puppe scored at 12:26 of the first, and again at 11:20 of the second (power play), against Fort High goalie Calie Clendenning to counteract Sarah Milling’s goal at 3:20 of the second.
Penner then went to work—feeding Beck at 5:48 of the third for the tying marker.
The third member of the high-tempo line, Jessica Coran, assisted on Penner’s decisive goal at 8:45.
Clendenning did the rest, making 17 saves to earn the win.
Lizzy Shellum had 18 stops in a losing cause for Northfield.
Fort High was relegated to the third-place game after being nipped 3-2 by the East Ridge Raptors (Woodbury, Mn.) in the semi-finals on New Year’s Eve.
East Ridge took a 2-0 lead on goals by Anya Hafiz at 11:38 of the first (power play) and Brooklyn Pierre at 15:07 of the second.
Amber Jourdain launched the Muskie comeback with 14 seconds left in the middle frame.
That momentum continued into the third, when Hailey Clendenning beat Raptors’ goalie Erin Cheetham at 8:03 for the tying marker.
But Hafiz put East Ridge over the top with her second of the game against Muskie goalie Kate Parsons with exactly three minutes left in regulation time.
Parsons was fantastic despite the loss with a 43-save outing.
The Muskies opened the tourney Monday with a 6-1 thumping of the Northern Lakes Lightning (Breezy Point, Mn.)
Hailey Clendenning had a pair of goals and an assist, while Milling also lit the lamp twice, as Fort High scored six unanswered goals after falling behind 1-0 in the first.
Jourdain and Katie Sinclair netted the other goals while Calie Clendenning made 16 saves.
The Muskies are back in action this Tuesday (Jan. 7) when they host the Lake of the Woods Bears (Baudette) in exhibition action at 7 p.m. at the ’52 Canadians Arena.
Fort High dumped the Bears 10-0 in Baudette in their first meeting Dec. 2.
As for the Muskie boys’ hockey squad, they began play this morning at the fifth-annual Boston Pizza Piper Classic Tournament of Champions in Winnipeg against the College Jeanne-Sauve Olympiens from the host city.
The score was unavailable by press time.
Fort High is back on the ice today at 5:15 p.m. against the St. John’s-Ravenscourt Eagles (Winnipeg), then will wrap up Pool ‘C’ action tomorrow at 8:45 a.m. versus the Garden City Fighting Gophers (Winnipeg).
The quarter-finals in the 12-team tournament begin tomorrow at 5:15 p.m., with the final set for Saturday at 2:45 p.m.
