There were some mixed results for the Muskie hockey teams on Tuesday night against the visiting St. Thomas Aquinas Saints of Kenora.
The boys remained unbeaten in NorWOSSA play with a 5-1 win but the girls’ squad suffered their first loss of the season by a 4-2 count.
Captain Reed Bodnar scored twice to pace the Muskie boys (5-0) to their league-leading fifth win of the season at the Ice For Kids Arena.
Bodnar opened the scoring 4:33 into the first period on a nifty play as he cut into the middle around the Saints’ defence and rifled a shot over Isaac Fagnilli’s glove.
After Brady Bodnarchuk scored on a feed from Jacob Albright early in the second, Connor Nelson broke out on a 2-on-1 with Ashton Cousineau and snapped one short side on Fagnilli to make it 3-0 for the Muskies.
The Muskies then paraded to the “sin bin” as Kaden Kocuiba was whistled for four minutes for spearing while Jace Dittaro took a roughing minor shortly after to give St. Thomas Aquinas a lengthy two-man advantage.
But Fort High’s penalty killing units came up huge and kept it a three-goal game after 40 minutes.
Kocuiba and Bodnar both lit the lamp in the third to stake the Muskies to a commanding lead before Jacob Kipling of the Saints broke Jaden Cooper’s shutout bid with just under a minute left as he tipped a shot home to round out the scoring.
As for the girls’ squad, they saw their NorWOSSA record fall to 2-1 as they were doubled up by the Saints in their annual “Teddy Bear Toss” game at the ’52 Canadians Arena.
The Saints (2-0) opened the scoring just 1:45 into the first as Chloe Skead buried one past Muskie goalie Jersey Masson.
But Hailey Bombay knotted it at 1-1 for the Muskies near the three-minute mark to send the teddy bears raining down onto the ice.
Tatum Glowasky then fired home a pass from Ashlyn Beck past the right of Saints’ goalie Faith Reid on a 2-on-1 chance at the eight-minute mark to put the Muskies ahead 2-1 after 20 minutes.
McKenna Isfeld buried the rebound of Seanna Derouard’s shot to help St. Thomas Aquinas even it at two apiece with 11:56 to go in the second.
Abbie Favreau gave the Saints their first lead of the night with 3:10 remaining as she made good on a power play opportunity before also finding the back of the net with seven seconds left to make it 4-2 for the visitors after 40 minutes.
Neither side could score in a physical final frame as the Saints earned their second win of the season and moved past the Muskies for first place in the league standings.
The Muskie boys will resume NorWOSSA action tomorrow night when they host the Red Lake Rams at 7:15 p.m. at the Ice For Kids Arena.
It will be the team’s annual “Teddy Bear Toss” game and fans are also encouraged to wear white to “whiteout” the arena.
The girls’ squad won’t be in action again until next Friday and Saturday (Dec. 6-7) when they head to Winnipeg for the PCI Saints’ Christmas Classic tournament.
