Muskies sweep to another all-Ontario berth

It’s back to the all-Ontarios for the Muskie boys’ hockey team.
The black-and-gold will be off to Burlington later this month after clinching yet another provincial berth Sunday night with a 6-3 win over the host Dryden Eagles to sweep the best-of-three NorWOSSA final.
Sunday night’s game was a hard-hitting, rough and tumble contest that was a battle for the Muskies compared to the 8-0 blowout in the series opener here Friday night.
Head coach Glen Edwards attributed that to the game being played on Dryden’s home ice.
“Home ice makes a big difference,” he noted, adding the game was extremely physical.
The Eagles jumped on the scoreboard first Sunday, beating Muskie goalie Jamie Booth early in the first period to bring the Dryden fans to their feet.
But the cheering didn’t last long as Jeff Savage netted the equalizer.
Adam McTavish, assisted by Dallas Mosbeck and Lorne Koski, gave the Muskies a 2-1 lead. Then they went up 4-1 on goals by Kevin Webb (David Lloyd) and Kris Esselink (Tom Rose/James Asplund).
Dryden drew to within 4-2 with a goal late in the second period but that was as close as they would get.
Steve Niskala (Bryce Witherspoon) made it 5-2 in the third before Webb (Esselink) tallied his second of the game to put the black-and-gold up by four.
The Eagles netted one in the dying moments but it was too little, too late.
“Yeah [it was a rough game] but Dryden had to play that way to stay close. They don’t have offensive talent like we do so they had to check hard,” reasoned Edwards.
It was a different story here Friday night as the Muskies–fresh off their two-game sweep over the Sioux Lookout Warriors in the semi-finals–cruised to an 8-0 triumph.
McTavish paced the attack with a hat trick while Lloyd netted a pair of goals. Webb, Niskala, and Donald Kellar added singles. Assists went to Lorne Koski (four), Asplund (two), Anderson (two), Mosbeck, Niskala, Rose, Webb, and Pruys.
Looking ahead, Edwards said he wasn’t sure what to expect at OFSAA (where the Muskies will compete in the new ‘A/AA’ division) but was confident they would hold their own.
“I think we will do all right and I think we can compete with anyone in Ontario,” he remarked.
Edwards also said McTavish and Anderson have had a very good playoff run so far.
“They work well together,” he enthused. “Our defensive line [also] played well and there are lots of players who put in a good effort.”
There is no word yet where the Muskies will be seeded, or who they’ll be matched up with in pool play.