Mitch Calvert
It was an emphatic finish that only a Fort/Falls rivalry could muster.
The Muskies battled back to tie the game at 3-3 midway through the third period, then made one final statement in overtime when Matt DePiero’s one-timer got past Broncos’ goalie Mike Hart to close the books on the improbable comeback victory.
“I didn’t see it go in, had a defenceman in the way,” DePiero said of his big goal. “I didn’t know that it went in until I got mauled by my team, but it was good work by the guys in the corner to get it out to me.”
The Broncos built a 3-1 in the second when Jace Baldwin chipped one past a sprawled Jameson Shortreed, but a big effort from Blake Wepruk ultimately turned the tide in the Muskies’ favour.
The veteran forward picked up the puck at his own blueline, carried it deep into the Broncos’ zone, and then fought off a pair of checkers behind the net before crashing in front and sliding a shot far side past Hart to close the deficit to 3-2.
“That was a huge goal. They had just got theirs that made it a two-goal game, and Blake scoring really helped up get back in the game,” DePiero enthused. “It helped get everybody else going again.”
That immediately gave the Muskies a lift, and they stormed the Broncos before eventually tying it in the third on a power-play goal by Zach McCool.
Cody McCool got the only goal of the first period for the black-and-gold while Shortreed picked up the win in net with 22 saves.
The game was delayed momentarily later in the third when emotions boiled over in the crowd as students of both high schools got involved in some fisticuffs at the east end of the rink.
But cooler heads eventually prevailed, and the Muskies were able to keep their momentum going into the overtime.
The Muskies also won last season’s home game of the two-game exhibition showdown with their cross-border rivals 4-0 before losing 7-1 on U.S. soil in the rematch in January.
The two teams meet again Jan. 19 across the river to close out this year’s series.
The black-and-gold were without head coach Shawn Jourdain, who was in Thunder Bay tending to a nose injury he suffered from an errant puck at practice earlier in the week.
“We don’t know for sure when he’ll be back, but he already had a fake nose so they kind of just glued it back together,” DePiero noted. “Hopefully, he’ll be back for the Brandon tournament [this coming weekend].”
Fort High was in Ely, Mn. last night for an exhibition game (the outcome was unavailable prior to press time).
