Joey Payeur
Hey, fans in the stands, if you can play defence, raise your hands.
It nearly came down to Muskie boys’ hockey head coach Jamie Davis having to recruit blueline replacements out of the crowd at the Ice For Kids Arena on Sunday afternoon.
But down to two defencemen after a series of injuries, Davis’ squad still had the Thunder Bay Minor Midget Kings on the ropes in the tie-breaking game of their three-game exhibition series over the weekend.
The Kings eventually prevailed 4-3, winning the series by surviving a six-round shootout that ended when Muskie Sam Tibbs was stopped by a sprawling Tyler Szturm after Thunder Bay’s Hunter Buzzi had beaten Dylan Ossachuk at the other end.
“The shootout is not the way you want to lose,” said Davis.
“But I’m proud of the guys,” he added. “This is likely the best Kings’ team in the last 15 years.”
Tyler VanUden opened the scoring for the Muskies with a short-handed breakaway at 10:14 of the first period.
After Jake Robinson netted the tying goal at 17:48, Muskie captain Carter Brown put the hosts back on top at 3:01 of the second during a two-man advantage—somehow whistling a point shot through a bevy of bodies in front of Szturm.
Garrett Gammond once again squared the affair at 17:59, crashing the net to shovel the puck behind Ossachuk.
Chase McGuire then gave Fort High its third lead of the day at 3:10 of the third, with assists going to VanUden and Jarred Taylor, in his return to the Muskie lineup after spending the last two months with the Fort Frances Lakers.
But with Fort High losing Wade Johnson and Connor Tibbs to leg injuries after blocking shots, Matt Cheetham to a head injury, and Brown to an unspecified ailment, the Muskies’ defence corps was reduced to Spencer Shortreed, Max Williams, and a rotating assortment of fill-ins from the forward ranks.
That lack of manpower ultimately led to Robinson getting free to notch his second of the game at 12:41 to set up overtime.
With no luck for either team 4-on-4, that brought about the shootout, which turned into an impromptu showboating competition between two teams obviously fed up with each other after battling for three-straight days.
After Taylor and Eli Loon-Stewardson each scored for their respective sides, Shortreed almost won it for the Muskies but hit the post behind Szturm.
Down to sudden death, a pair of fourth-round misses were followed by Robinson wristing one past Ossachuk, then launching into an over-the-top celebration that would have made Alexander Ovechkin envious.
Graeme Kitt responded in kind—snapping a shot stick-side on Szturm to keep the Muskies alive, then sliding on one knee by the Kings’ bench while brushing the ice with his glove.
But Buzzi’s deke was enough to get the puck past Ossachuk. Then when Szturm got enough of Tibbs’ attempt to keep the puck out, the Kings emerged victorious from the game and the series.
The two teams opened play Friday night in Atikokan, where the Kings rode a 72-shot barrage to a 6-1 win, featuring two-thirds of the Muskies’ “Kid Line” from last season in forwards Cole Tymkin and Brett Hahkala.
Muskie goalie Jordan Carlson was the only reason the game wasn’t a complete rout, making an incredible 66 stops.
“Our goaltending was outstanding all weekend,” lauded Davis.
“They gave us a chance to win all three games.”
Gammond and Jacob Brown each tallied twice for Thunder Bay in the opener while Buzzi and Hahkala had singles.
Tymkin added two assists.
VanUden notched the lone goal for Fort High.
“For the first game, we didn’t know what to expect,” admitted Davis.
“They came out hard and took it to us, but the last 25 minutes we started to push back,” he noted.
The series then switched to the Ice For Kids Arena here Saturday night, which brought about a revitalized Muskie team.
The teams exchanged plenty of offensive opportunities but a three-goal second for Fort High proved the difference in an 8-5 victory.
“Everything we talked about after Friday, we executed on Saturday,” said Davis.
“We had a few minor breakdowns and a few too many penalties, but it was a complete effort.”
Taylor netted a hat trick as part of a four-point night while VanUden added two goals.
Singles went to Shortreed, Kitt, and Kendyn Faragher.
Brown had two goals for the Kings, with Loon-Stewardson, Robinson, and Tymkin each tallying once.
The Muskies kick off their NorWOSSA regular-season tomorrow at 7:15 p.m. when they welcome the Dryden Eagles to the Ice For Kids Arena.
Davis said all his injured players are listed as “day-to-day” in terms of their availability for tomorrow’s game.
