Taggs fall short in home tourney

A rough beginning, a memorable middle, and a bitter ending.
That was life for the Fort Frances Taggs Bantam ‘AA’ hockey squad at their nine-team home tournament last weekend as the locals ended play with a disappointing 3-1 loss to the North End Flames (Thunder Bay) in the ‘B’ final Sunday afternoon.
Taggs head coach Mark McCaig was pleased as punch with his team’s gritty effort in their two preliminary round games and even their tight 5-4 loss to the Thunder Bay Beavers in the semi-finals Sunday morning.
Now, about that last game . . .
“When you play great and lose to a good team like we did against the Beavers [the top-ranked Bantam ‘AA’ squad in Thunder Bay], I can accept that,” said McCaig.
“But it’s very disappointing to come out like this against what’s probably the last place team in Thunder Bay. To play this way in your own tournament is unacceptable,” added McCaig, who spent almost half-an-hour after the loss to the Flames addressing his players in the dressing room.
Darren Cizmar, Luke De Cal, and Mitchell Forbes scored for the Flames while Matt McLellan had the only marker for Taggs.
Despite the frustrating ending, McCaig spoke glowingly about his team’s performance in general at the tournament, and highlighted several main contributors.
“Kyle Turgeon and Brian Glavish were great for us, and [goalie] Ryan Faragher really kept us in this afternoon’s game,” said McCaig, whose own son, Michael, also put in a yeoman’s effort on the blueline despite being the smallest player on the team.
“[Goalie] Justin Pryde was also phenomenal, especially [Sunday] morning against the Beavers.
“But we took too many undisciplined penalties in the tournament,” he stressed. “We need a better attitude. We need a renewed commitment to participate at the ‘AA’ level.
“It’s very intense at this level, and we have to bring that intensity all year,” McCaig said.
Taggs opened the tournament Friday afternoon by falling 4-2 to the same Flames team. Forbes notched a pair while Tommy Milani and Sam Molendik had the others.
Glavish netted both goals for Taggs.
Then Friday evening, Taggs captain Andrew Easton rallied his team from a 2-1 deficit in the third period by scoring twice to complete his hat trick, and Danny Chapman added an empty-netter, as the hosts beat the South End Rangers (Thunder Bay) 4-2.
Easton, who had been kicked out of the afternoon contest for a hitting from behind penalty in the third period, showed what he can do when he stays in the game with a couple of lovely rushes from centre ice for his two third-period markers.
Landon Bennett and Devon Meyers had the Rangers’ goals.
With second place in Pool ‘A’ on the line for Taggs, the Neebing Hawks almost made them eat crow with a third-period comeback of their own, before the home squad held on for a 6-4 win in their final preliminary-round contest.
Fort Frances fashioned the win for the most part without Easton, who was sent packing seven minutes into the game for another hitting from behind infraction.
But Chapman moved in to pick up the slack, scoring twice, including his second-straight empty-netter.
Glavish, Justin Scott, Taylor Jorgenson, and McLellan had the other goals for Taggs while Nelson Matyasovsky netted a pair for the Hawks. Daniel Niemi and Erik Sereda rounded out Neebing’s scoring.
The victory ultimately led to a cross-over playoff game between the same two teams, with Easton continuing his roller-coaster weekend by scoring twice in 2:18 early in the third to erase a 1-0 deficit and help Taggs to a 4-2 win.
Kevin Bobczynski and Turgeon added singles, with Chris Bewski and Dustin Blackburn replying for the Hawks.
Sunday morning’s semi-final with the Beavers couldn’t have started any better for Taggs, who were up 3-0 after eight minutes on goals by Bobczynski, Glavish, and Jordan Davis.
But Kale Kerbashin, the most dangerous of the Beavers all game, scored a minute after Davis to put Thunder Bay back in the game.
Chapman and Jesse Romano traded goals in the second to make it 4-2 after two periods for Taggs. Then the Beavers dug in and mounted a furious rally.
Kerbashin sandwiched goals around Romano’s second of the game in a span of 2:19 early in the third to not only complete his hat trick, but give Thunder Bay its first lead of the game.
Beavers goalie Kari Rikkonen did the rest, holding off a surging Taggs squad until the final buzzer.
Taggs’ game against the Rangers, and their two games against the Hawks, tentatively are scheduled to be shown back-to-back this Saturday on Shaw Cable 10 (the times have yet to be announced).
Fort Frances crosses the river to play in their next tournament in International Falls on Dec. 12-14.