Mustangs set to host tourney

The local Sunset Country Ford Atom ‘AA’ Mustangs are gearing up for what could be a championship ride here this weekend.
A total of 11 teams will compete in the Mustangs’ annual home tournament. Preliminary-round games are scheduled tomorrow and Saturday, with the playoffs set for Sunday.
The Mustangs will open play tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. against Red Lake, then take on Westfort (Thunder Bay) at 2:45 p.m. (both games in the Ice for Kids Arena).
They next face the KC 9s (Thunder Bay) on Saturday at 8:45 a.m. in the Ice for Kids Arena, then wrap up preliminary-round action with a 1 p.m. match-up against Norwest (Thunder Bay) in the ’52 Canadians Arena.
Playoff action begins Sunday at 8 a.m. The ‘B’ final is set for noon while the ‘A’ final goes at 1:30 p.m. (both games will be played at the Ice for Kids Arena).
Despite a workhorse effort, the Mustangs were put out to pasture during a tournament Jan. 24-26 in Baudette.
The ride started smoothly enough as the Mustangs dumped International Falls 7-4 in their first outing, with six different players hitting the scoresheet.
Joe Basaraba led the way with a pair of goals, with Jordan Sinclair, David Chambers, Steven Romaniuk, Ben Bruyere, and Keith McTavish adding singles.
But a promising start gave way to a nightmarish ending in the Mustangs’ 9-2 loss to Warroad in their next game.
Chambers and Basaraba had given the Fort crew a 2-0 lead in the first period before Warroad struck for nine unanswered goals to cruise to the victory.
Brock Nelson acted as a one-man wrecking crew for Warroad, chalking up four goals and four assists in the game.
The Mustangs recovered to give the host Lake of the Woods team from Baudette a run for their money before succumbing 5-3.
Fort Frances had led 3-2 in the second on goals by Matt Goldamer, Chambers, and Andrew Gobeil before Baudette tied it late in the period, then scored twice in the third to seal the win.
And yet another lead went for naught in the Mustangs’ 7-4 loss to Roseau in their final game.
Lyndon Brown, Bruyere, and Basaraba (with two goals in two minutes early in the third) made it 4-3 for Fort Frances.
But Adam Knochenmus took over after that for Roseau, tying the game 23 seconds later and then scoring the go-ahead goal with 3:22 left in regulation time.