Staff
The Muskie girls’ and boys’ hockey teams took different paths to beating the International Falls Broncos in exhibition action here Friday.
The girls led things off with a 8-1 pounding of the visitors, leading from the drop of the puck en route to the one-sided victory.
Taylor Meyers led the attack with a hat trick while the Broncos spoiled Sara Trendiak’s shutout bid with a goal late in the third.
The boys, meanwhile, fell behind 3-1 midway through the game before a late goal in the second swayed the momentum as the Muskies rallied for a 4-3 win in overtime.
Blake Wepruk carried the puck from his own blueline, fought off two Bronco defenders behind their net, and then drove to the front before sliding a wraparound shot in to close the gap to 3-2.
His reaction—and the crowd’s response—immediately lifted the Muskies’ spirits as they barraged the Broncos’ net the rest of the way.
Zach McCool knotted the score at 3-3 in the third when he drove to the net and redirected Donovan Cousineau’s pass into the net for a power-play goal.
Emotions obviously were high both on and off the ice. They eventually boiled over in the stands as some high school students from each side began trading punches in the far east side of the rink.
The game was delayed momentarily but the Muskies kept up the pressure when play resumed.
In overtime, Matt DePiero one-timed a shot through a screen that had eyes—finding a hole and sending the Canadian portion of the crowd home happy.
“I didn’t know that it went in until I got mauled by my team,” DePiero enthused. “It was good work by the guys in the corner to get it out to me.”
The Muskie girls now are off to Babbitt, Mn. for an exhibition game tomorrow night while the boys play in Ely.
