Mitch Calvert
The Muskie boys’ hockey team clinched first place in the NorWOSSA standings with a 5-2 win over the Dryden Eagles here Tuesday night.
The black-and-gold jumped out to a 3-0 lead on goals by Donovan Cousineau, Devin Ball, and Matt Goldamer.
The Eagles made a game of it with tallies from Kevin Trott and Aaron Lane, but Zach McCool and Brendan Cawston netted insurance markers for the Muskies to seal the win.
Dryden now has lost three-straight to Fort High since opening the season with a 5-2 upset back on Nov. 12.
The Eagles sit in second place in NorWOSSA with a 6-4 record while the Red Lake Rams have climbed into third with a 4-5-1 mark.
The Muskies are in first with a 9-1 record, and will close out the regular season with a pair of home games against the Rams tomorrow at 7:15 p.m. at the Ice for Kids Arena and then Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at the Emo arena.
The black-and-gold then will open the playoffs against the last-place Kenora Broncos (2-8-1) in a best-of-three series beginning next Thursday (Feb. 26) at 7:45 p.m. at the Ice for Kids Arena.
Meanwhile, it was a different story for the Muskies girls’ hockey team here Tuesday night as Brett Lobreau broke a 2-2 deadlock with just 22.9 seconds left in regulation time to lead the Eagles to victory.
Lobreau tipped home Kyley Engstrom’s shot for the game-winner to go with one she netted earlier. Randi-Lynn Sullivan scored Dryden’s other goal.
Veterans Kailey Curtis and Taylor Meyers replied for the Muskies, who dropped their fourth in a row to finish the NorWOSSA regular season with a 5-5-2 record.
Dryden outshot Fort High by a wide margin, thanks in large part to seven penalties assessed against the Muskies, but goalie Sara Trendiak kept black-and-gold in it until the heart-breaking goal in the dying seconds.
The Muskie girls now will host the third-place Kenora Broncos either next Thursday or Friday in the opening round of the NorWOSSA playoffs.
Dryden, having clinched first place with a 9-1 record (although they still have two games to play against Kenora), will await the winner.
