Staff
Amy Penner had her regular line back together and she couldn’t have been happier.
The captain of the Muskie girls’ hockey team notched a hat trick to lead third-seeded Fort High to a 5-2 win over the 14th-ranked McKinnon Park Blue Devils (Caledonia) in their first game at the OFSAA ‘A/AA’ championships yesterday in Kenora.
Penner’s play was boosted by the return of veteran forward Jessica Coran, who had missed the Muskies’ run to a second-straight NorWOSSA crown due to an emergency appendectomy on the eve of the playoffs.
Coran’s speed, combined with Penner’s goal-scoring touch and the play-making ability of Grade 9 linemate Annalise Hayes, kept the Muskies in the game early before they took control in the second period.
Hayes and Coran set up Penner for Fort High’s first two goals within the first four minutes of the game, sandwiched around one by Jennifer Williams.
The Blue Devils then tied it on a power-play goal by Taylor Troback before the end of the period.
But the Muskies grabbed command in the second and re-took the lead just over 10 minutes into the frame on Hayes’ power-play goal, which originally was credited to Penner.
Kaily Greengrass extended the lead to 4-2 just over a
minute into the third before Penner completed her hat trick with a top-shelf beauty of a blast with 4:25 to go.
After a shaky first period, Calie Clendenning was steady the rest of the way to get the win in goal.
Megan Hossack took the loss.
Fort High, playing in Pool ‘B,’ had a chance to virtually lock up a spot in the quarter-finals with a victory earlier today against the eighth-ranked St. Mark Lions of Ottawa (the game was not over as of press time).
The Muskies then face the ninth-seeded Southwood Sabres (Cambridge) in their preliminary-round finale at 7:30 p.m.
The playoffs begin tomorrow.
As for the fourth-seeded Muskie boys’ hockey team, they got off on the right skate at the OFSAA ‘A/AA’ championships in Pembroke/Petawawa this morning with a 4-2 win over the host Fellowes Falcons (ranked 15th).
Tyler VanUden (short-handed), Matt Cheetham, Graeme Kitt, and Jarred Taylor scored for Fort High.
Dylan Ossachuk earned the win in goal.
The Muskies, playing in Pool ‘D,’ then will have a pair of games tomorrow—against the ninth-ranked St. Joseph’s Panthers (Cornwall) at 11 a.m. and the sixth-seeded St. Michael’s Mustangs (Niagara Falls) at 4 p.m. (all times CDT).
Playoffs begin Thursday.
The news was not so good for the Muskie senior girls’ volleyball team, which had its OFSAA title hopes fall by the wayside with a pair of opening-day losses yesterday in Dryden.
Fort High, ranked 12th, played well in the opening set of both matches but still were swept 2-0 in the best-of-three affairs.
They fell 25-22/25-13 to the fifth-seeded General Amherst Bulldogs (Amherstburg) and then 25-23/25-12 to the second-ranked Les Laser de College catholique Samuel-Genest (Ottawa).
The black-and-gold took on the 15th-ranked Southwood Sabres earlier today (the match was not over as of press time).
Regardless of the outcome, Fort High will be in the consolation quarter-finals, which begin today at 3 p.m.
