The Sunset Country Ford Mustangs were perfect in pool play but then couldn’t get things going offensively in the semi-finals against the NorWest Stars (Thunder Bay) here Sunday morning.
The result was a 4-0 loss–and a sudden exit for the hosts of the 10-team Atom ‘AA’ tournament.
Andrew Jarvis put the Stars up 1-0 just 1:10 into the first period, then Jordan Staal beat Mustangs goalie Wade Friesen with 2:30 left in the second for a 2-0 lead.
Staal then iced the game with a pair of goals six minutes apart in the third.
Tyson Kadikoff was named the Mustangs’ game MVP.
Norwest went on to lose the championship game 4-1 to the Kenora Thistles. Scoring for the Thistles in the win were Joelle Charlebois, Chris Sinclair, Brooks Mejia, and Bryan Wolf.
Kenora advanced to the finals after dumping the KC Teleco Sabres (Thunder Bay) in the other semifinal game.
The finished their pool play with a 3-0-1 record. They tied NorWest (3-3), and beat the Elk’s 82’s of Thunder Bay (4-2), the Volunteer Pool Cats of Thunder Bay (5-0), and the Dryden Rangers (6-2).
Playing in the Explorer division, the Mustangs opened action Friday morning with a 3-1 victory over Lake of the Woods.
Tyler Miller (assisted by Josh Sigurdson) gave his team a 1-0 lead after one period, then added his second of the game (assisted by Alex McQuarrie) in the middle frame for a 2-1 lead through two.
Brian White (again assisted by Sigurdson) rounded out the scoring with just 24 seconds to play.
Miller was earned game MVP honours for the Mustangs.
Later Friday, George Ossachuk had a hat trick to pace the Mustangs to a 6-1 win over the Westfort Rangers (Thunder Bay) 6-1. Miller added a goal and two assists while Josh Sigurdson and Steven Boileau also tallied.
Ossachuk was the Mustangs’ game MVP in that one.
The Mustangs hit the ice Saturday with a solid 4-1 win over the KC Teleco Sabres, battling back from a 1-0 deficit in the second period.
Paul Dobransky (named the Mustangs’ game MVP) led the way with a goal and two assists. Miller, Josh Sigurdson, and Brandon Roden also scored.
They wrapped up pool play Saturday with a 5-0 shutout over International Falls.
Kyle Sigurdson paced the Mustangs with two first-period goals while White added a goal and two assists. Scott Sampson and Brandon Roden also scored, with Miller recording a pair of assists.
Kyle Sigurdson was named the Mustangs’ game MVP.
Next tournament action for the Mustangs will be later this month in Fargo, N.D.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
