Muskies open hockey season next week

The Muskie hockey team will get a crash course in game conditioning when they open their regular-season schedule next Tuesday in Kenora.
With the annual “scrimmage-fest” in Warroad postponed to later in the season, the black-and-gold were left without any exhibition games to play before they set out to defend their NorWOSSA title.
Muskie head coach Glen Edwards admitted the lack of game conditioning could hurt his team in the opener but that should be one of the few times they struggle during this season.
In fact, with 11 players returning, the Muskies should possess one of the more potent offences again this season.
Up front, Ross Anderson, Adam McTavish, Tyler Coyle, Chris Kellar, Steve Keesic, Jesse Rodrigues, and David Lloyd are back for another season.
They’ll be joined by newcomers Jeff Savage, Steve Niskala, Kevin Webb, Tom Rose, Cole Hayward, and Donald Kellar.
The Muskies also are still waiting to hear if Brad Gushulak, last year’s leading scorer in NorWOSSA, will be back. Word is expected sometime today if he won his appeal to play another season of high school hockey.
In the meantime, Edwards said he likes the fact he has both speed and size on each of his lines.
“Any one of our lines we can count on to score,” he noted. “I think each line has quickness and toughness.”
Still, the offence will have to find its form quickly with six games in 12 days this month, including the Muskies’ home opener Nov. 19-20 against Red Lake.
They also will host Sioux Lookout for a pair of games here the following weekend.
After that, they’ll have just one league game in December, wedged between several exhibition matches with American teams.
But if the Muskies’ talent up front will put the puck in the net, the black-and-gold also should be quite sound at the other end in stopping goals.
Both Blake Carlson and Jamie Booth were solid in goal last season, and Edwards expects they should have one of the top goaltending tandems in the league once again.
“Both of those guys played a lot for us in the league, the playoffs, and OFSAA,” he noted. “Our goaltending is to our advantage.”
And while the defence was probably the team’s biggest concern heading into the season, Edwards said his worries have been diminished with the play of some of his blueliners during training camp.
The addition of Boomer Redford from the Midget Canadians has been a welcome addition, along with veterans Jon Rogoza and James Asplund.
Redford is one of several new faces back on the point, being joined by Andrew Bynkoski, Lorne Koski, and Clint Pruys.