Joey Payeur
You win some, you lose some and you lose some others really painfully.
The Muskies boys hockey team surrendered 2-0 and 5-2 leads before eventually falling 7-6 in overtime to the Achiever Academy Aces from Minneapolis/St. Paul in the last of its three games at the Ralph Engelstad Classic in Thief River Falls, Minn.
Cory Sprague finished his hat trick and four-point night in style by scoring the game-winner for the Aces at 1:04 of the extra session against Muskie goalie Jonah Johnson.
Mac Stevens, Austin Parrish, Victor Morgan and Zach Black had the others for Achiever Academy, which saw goalie Sage Broda make 36 saves in the victory.
Jarred Taylor had a hat trick in a losing cause for Fort Frances, which also got singles from Chase Ferguson, Tyler Mosbeck and David Pryde.
Johnson turned aside 41 shots in the loss.
The setback completed the black-and-gold’s journey south of the border, which also included a 7-0 shutout of the Siren (Wisc.) Dragons on Saturday, along with a 3-1 opening defeat against the Crookston (Minn.) Pirates on Friday.
Carter Brown and Ferguson each scored twice and added an assist to pace Fort Frances against the Dragons. Aaron McDowall, Tyler VanUden and Braden Webb had the others, with McDowall and Webb also earning three points apiece.
Derek Kaemingh made 21 saves to pick up the shutout for the Muskies, while Siren goalie Taran Wols stopped 33 pucks in taking the loss.
The Muskies head to Winnipeg on Thursday to take part in the three-day John Taylor Piper Classic.
The Fort’s next home game is on Jan. 7 in a NORWOSSA matchup against the St. Thomas Aquinas Saints from Kenora at the Ice for Kids Arena at 7:15 p.m.
