Mitch Calvert
The Muskie boys’ hockey team finally got some game action in over the weekend, but their visiting opponents didn’t exactly ease them into things.
Shattuck-St. Mary’s came into the three-game series in mid-season form, having already played 18 games, and swept it by scores of 5-3, 5-1, and 3-1.
Shattuck came to play on Friday and led 3-1 after one period, but the Muskies fought back and narrowed it to 3-2 after Zach McCool made a one-handed pass while falling to the ice that Donovan Cousineau converted on.
The visitors regained the two-goal cushion just over a minute later to take a 4-2 lead into the second intermission.
The black-and-gold battled hard the rest of the way, and McCool narrowed the deficit to one off a rebound in the crease late in the period.
The Muskies then pressed hard for the equalizer in the final minutes, including a Cody McCool shot from the point that found its way through a screen but stayed out of the net.
Shattuck then iced the victory with a late empty-netter to squash the Muskies’ comeback attempt.
“It was a good weekend to evaluate,” new Muskie coach Shawn Jourdain said.
“McCool, Cousineau, and [Kyle] Herr played well all weekend,” he added. “We’ll look for big things from them this year and we’ll keep them together as much as possible.”
Saturday’s game saw the home side thoroughly out-played in losing 5-1, but Sunday showed more promise as the black-and-gold were in it right until the end.
“That’s an exceptional hockey team right there, they move the puck very well and quickly,” Jourdain conceded of the Minnesota prep school squad.
“We only got six kids back, a lot of new faces learning a lot of new things, but our goaltending was exceptional this weekend and the kids battled,” he continued.
Jamison Shortreed and Devin Stromness will split time in goal to start the season.
Despite the results on the scoreboard, Jourdain stressed patience with a young team that’s still finding its rhythm so early in the season.
“I think everybody played quite well this weekend, and we got to stick them in all sorts of different situations,” Jourdain said. “More of a weekend to evaluate, to see things on the penalty kill and power play and five-on-five, and they all did really well.”
The Muskies open their NorWOSSA regular season tonight in Dryden.
“I know what we got but I have no idea what [Dryden] have,” Jourdain admitted. “It’s a new season, a lot of new kids, and we’re going in there blind, but hopefully we’ll show up and play some good hockey.”
The Muskies then will be in Morden, Man. this weekend for a tournament.
