The Muskie boys’ hockey team eked out a narrow 5-3 win over the Kenora Broncos up there last night to remain undefeated in NorWOSSA play.
The Broncos pulled out all the stops trying to tie the game in the dying moments, having a two-man advantage with their goalie pulled, but Tom Rose scored short-handed into the empty net with 1.6 seconds left to ice the victory.
Kenora had jumped out to a 1-0 lead at 17:35 of the first period when Jeff Gustafson beat Muskie goalie Blake Carlson. Then the Broncos made it 2-0 on Eric Hnatiuk’s goal with less than a minute to go before intermission.
But the Muskies roared back in the second period with three unanswered goals, starting with a power play tally by Kevin Webb (assisted by Jeff Savage).
Dallas Mosbeck (Ira Ottertail) later tied the game at 2-2 before Webb netted his second of the period (from Adam McTavish) to give the Muskies their first lead.
Still, the Broncos wouldn’t say die, getting the equalizer with just 4:50 to go in regulation time. Then with overtime looming, Kris Esselink (Webb/McTavish) notched the eventual game-winner on the power play with 3:09 left.
That set the stage for Rose’s insurance goal in the last second.
The Muskies were coming off a tiring weekend at the Winnipeg High School Hockey League’s “tournament of champions,” coming home with a 3-1-1 record and the consolation crown.
The black-and-gold blanked Kings Edgehill (Nova Scotia) in the consolation final.
The Muskies had opened the tourney Thursday with a 3-3 tie against eventual champion Silver Heights (Winnipeg), then beat Kings Edgehill 4-1 on Friday morning.
But an 8-6 loss to River East (Winnipeg) later Friday dropped the Muskies into the consolation side.
They later drubbed Morden 13-0 to advance to the final against Kings Edgehill.
“We won the consolation side but we didn’t do as well as we hoped,” Muskie head coach Glen Edwards had said Monday morning, adding he thought his team had a good chance to win the tournament.
But he also said the tourney provided the team with some good competition as they prepare for their drive to the all-Ontarios.
“The team that beat us [River East] played much better one-on-one and in the last games, we started doing that,” remarked Edwards.
He added the Muskies have been invited back, and hoped the schedule next season will permit them to attend again.
In other Muskie hockey news, the girls’ team was nipped 2-1 by the visiting Dryden Eagles yesterday evening. Danielle McGee, assisted by Tara Lloyd and Carrie Johnson, scored the lone goal.
The black-and-gold remain winless in NorWOSSA play for far in their inaugural season.