Staff
It was a long journey but a productive one.
The three-time defending NorWOSSA champion Muskie girls’ hockey team finished off the host Sioux Lookout Warriors 4-1 last night to sweep their best-of-three semi-final 2-0.
Fort High, which won the opener 5-1 here Thursday night, now awaits the outcome of the other semi-final series between the second-place Dryden Eagles and third-place St. Thomas Aquinas Saints.
That clash will go the distance as the Saints bounced back from a 4-0 loss in Game 1 on Thursday in Dryden to hand the Eagles a 3-0 defeat in Game 2 last night in Kenora.
Game 3 goes tomorrow night in Dryden, with the winner travelling here to face the Muskies in the best-of-three NorWOSSA final that gets underway this Friday at 7:15 p.m. at the Ice For Kids Arena.
Taylor Croswell and Jenna Clendenning tallied first-period goals to put the Muskies up 2-0 last night.
The Warriors responded with a power-play goal early in the second, but Siobhan Mackintosh and Sara Jackson bulged the twine before the end of the frame to round out the scoring.
Kamryn Sandelovich, getting her second-straight start between the pipes with veteran Sydney Beck still sidelined by illness, earned the win.
Muskie leading scorer Annalise (CC) Hayes, who missed the regular-season finale and Game 1 of the semi-final with a shoulder injury, was back in the lineup last night.
In boys’ action, the top-ranked Muskies will look to end another Warriors team’s season in Game 2 of their semi-final tonight.
Fort High took Game 1 by a 4-1 count Friday night at the IFK Arena.
Brent Jourdain, on a shot that looked like it was fired straight in by Mike Drouin, and James Gushulak staked the Muskies to a 2-0 lead in the first.
Landon Woods added to the advantage with just 20 seconds left in the second before Eric Pitkanen added a third-period goal.
Kendall Schultz spoiled Matt Booth’s shutout bid late in the third.
Booth got the win while Magnus Ray took the loss.
Meanwhile, the third-place St. Thomas Aquinas can oust the second-seeded Dryden Eagles with a win tonight in Kenora.
The Saints were outshot 51-28 in Game 1 on Friday in Dryden but still escaped with a 4-3 upset victory.
