Staff
It wasn’t quite the colour they were hoping for going in, but the Muskie girls’ hockey team certainly isn’t going to say no to a medal at its season-opening tournament.
The black-and-gold earned bronze with a 4-1 defeat of the Dryden Eagles at the Ice For Kids Arena yesterday, toppling the team that finished tops in NorWOSSA last season.
Fort High opened the scoring early in the game, benefiting from a power play called just 12 seconds in.
Shelby Tymkin whacked home the marker at 1:47 after taking a feed from Katie Sinclair.
Ericka Tymkin got in on the action so after, corralling a centering pass from Alyssa Penner and popping the puck past Dryden goalie Bree Brown at 5:06.
The Muskies had a couple of other chances to boost their lead even more late in the frame, but Shae-Lynn Smith’s backhander went just wide while Jillian Langtry was stymied on an end-to-end rush.
Langtry got her revenge in the second period, though. Smith sprung her on a short-handed breakaway and Langtry had a bit more room to operate, deking Brown to make it 3-0.
The Eagles got on the board 1:07 into the third when Kristen Bartlett beat the Muskie defenders to a dump-in, wrapped around the net, and centered the puck to Halle Lobreau, who wired a shot over goalie Melissa Payne’s right shoulder.
The Muskies restored their three-goal advantage 9:32 into the third.
Defender Danielle Jean, converted from forward for this season, pinched in and ripped a shot over Brown’s right shoulder, just under the crossbar.
The sweet snipe sealed the 4-1 win and the bronze medal.
Fort High had opened the tournament Friday afternoon with a 7-0 win over Queen Victoria (Sioux Lookout).
Sinclair notched a power-play goal in the first before the Muskies broke out in the second.
Taylor Dixon and Jean tallied just 10 seconds apart to make it 3-0 lead, then Langtry came up with a pair of short-handed goals just 27 seconds apart later in the frame.
Penner and Smith found the net in the third to round out the scoring.
The Muskies completed the day with a 3-0 win over the Portage Saints.
Dixon’s second-period goal proved to be the game-winner while Langtry and Melanie Scott notched third-period insurance.
Saturday was a tougher day for Fort High. Dryden got the best of the black-and-gold in their round-robin meeting, goading the Muskies into six penalties en route to a 6-1 win.
Langtry scored late in the first to even the score 1-1, but Dryden cruised from there.
Then in the semi-finals later Saturday, Fort High dropped a 4-0 decision to Pembina, who went 3-for-5 on the power play.
The Tigers notched two in the first and two in the third to advance to the final, which they won 4-1 over St. Thomas Aquinas (Kenora)
The Muskies will be right back in action this weekend as they attend the Sturgeon Heights tournament in Winnipeg beginning Thursday.
