When the Muskies cross the Ambassador Bridge from Detroit later this month, the first thing they will see is a yellow block-lettered sign distinguishing the University of Windsor.
“I’ve never been to Windsor, but I’m really looking forward to it,” said Muskie head coach Shane Bliss, who will be there along with his team when the all-Ontarios begin March 30.
Windsor, a city of close to 250,000, essentially is the unshaven armpit of Detroit. It is dirty, crowded, filled with auto plants, caters to Detroit (Casino Windsor is open 24 hours a day and located right across the Detroit River that separates the two cities), but it does have its bright spots.
There’s the university, which is recognized across Canada. There’s the upper-scale club Dean Martini’s, which serves the best martinis in town. There’s the Windsor Castle, which is one of the official residence for the Queen in Canada.
And there’s the Devonshire Mall, which has a great sports memorabilia store located right across from Sears.
But the Muskies are heading to Windsor for business, not sightseeing, as they look to improve their showing at last year’s OFSAA tournament in London.
“Last year was a big eye-opener for us,” said Bliss, whose team failed to qualify for the quarter-finals after sporting a 1-3 record in pool play.
The Muskies have 12 players from last year’s team on the roster and Bliss believes that experience will be critical in trying to advance to the medal round, which is the team’s goal.
“I spoke to a lot of coaches last year and they all said that your first year is always a surprise, but in your second is when you see results,” recalled Bliss.
The Muskies certainly have enjoyed success at the all-Ontarios, winning nine medals, including three gold, in their previous 24 trips to the provincial showdown.
“We know that we’ve worked hard, so we just have to wait for the puck to drop and see what happens,” said Bliss.
The last thing the Muskies remember when the puck dropped was a thrilling overtime victory last Tuesday (March 8) in Dryden to snatch the NorWOSSA gold medal from the first-place Eagles.
“I thought it was an excellent hockey game,” Bliss said of Game 3. “Both teams really put it out on the line and it was a really fast hockey game.
“Definitely the fastest game that I’ve seen this year, and maybe one of the fastest high school games I’ve ever seen,” he added.
What helped the team’s confidence in overcoming a 1-0 deficit in the best-of-three series was the play of Brian Vargas, who was—and has been—the Muskies’ “X-factor.”
“Brian brings a lot of energy,” said Bliss. “It’s like when you start off your season and they’re so excited to be out there and happy to be a part of it and they’ll do anything for you, and that’s what Brian brings.”
What’s impressive about Vargas is that he started the season as a member of the practice squad. But when Jordan Larson left the team in the middle of the campaign, the rugged Grade 12 forward made the most of his opportunity.
“He’s just so excited to be out there and works so hard,” Bliss remarked. “If he does something wrong, you just have to tell him once and he won’t do it again.
“He’s so eager and he’s been playing well, so we’ve been rewarding him with more ice time.”
Vargas had netted the game’s first goal last Tuesday night after positioning himself in front of Dryden’s net to stuff home a loose rebound, then set up the winning goal late in the third period on a play that was very close to never happening.
“It was close to being an icing, but they called it off, and Vargas went in from seemingly nowhere and forced the turnover and got it out in front of the net for [Tyler] Miller,” recalled Bliss.
“Miller let a shot go and it looked like it hit something and trickled in over the line from the reaction of the referee and the players, so it was kind of hard to see from my perspective.”
The goal left Miller tied with Dryden’s Josh Semeniuk as the leading scorer in the playoffs with six points in five games (three goals/three assists).
Bliss said he didn’t feel at ease until about 1.3 seconds left in the game.
“You never know with Dryden because they are very good and they have a lot of talent, so I wasn’t resting too easy until that buzzer went,” he noted.
And when the final buzzer sounded?
“It was chaos,” Bliss said. “The coaches were jumping up and down and, of course, the first thing you do is shake hands with your coaches.
“The boys were already on the ice, and there were a lot of hugs and smiles that the players probably still haven’t wiped off from their faces,” he added.
The all-Ontarios usually are held the week after March Break. Due to Easter, however, the tournament was pushed back a week later this year.
But that’s okay, says Bliss, who already has lined up a few exhibition games against two very unique, but very different, teams.
Tonight at 6:45 p.m. in the Ice for Kids Arena, for instance, the Muskies will face a regional ‘AAA’ Bantam team (a mixture of Kenora, Dryden, and mostly Fort Frances players coached by Mark McCaig and who will compete in a tournament here this weekend).
Then next Tuesday (March 22), the black-and-gold will face Hopper’s Bruins, which has the combined age of a millennium while the Muskies are short of four centuries.
That game also is slated for 6:45 p.m. at the Ice for Kids Arena.
“To have 10 practices in a row without any action would be really stale, so in order to stay sharp we set up these games and it’s great timing for us to have these games,” said Bliss, who is a member of Hopper’s Bruins.
But make no mistake—the focus is on OFSAA.
“As a coach it’s nice,” said Bliss, who is the only Muskie player to be a part of two gold-medal teams—1986 and ’89. “But I’m happy for the boys because these are the memories that you never forget.”
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
