The Emo Thunderbolts PeeWee hockey team did a little post-Christmas shopping and wound up with a tournament title underneath their tree.
Chris Mutz and Ryan Witherspoon each netted hat tricks as the Thunderbolts pounded the host squad 7-1 in the final of the International Falls Holiday Tournament on Dec. 29.
After the Falls connected in the first minute of play, Johnny French’s equalizer for Emo one minute later sparked seven unanswered goals for the champions, who finished the three-day tournament undefeated.
The Thunderbolts kicked off action with a 5-2 win over Chisholm. Witherspoon carried the load with a four-goal outing while Cole Benjamin added a single.
The Fort Frances Lions put a scare into Emo, but Witherspoon’s overtime marker—his second of the game—was the difference in a 5-4 victory.
Chris Mutz, Matt Mutz, and Benjamin added singles for the Thunderbolts, who followed one thriller with another by outlasting the Fort Frances Colonels 1-0.
Witherspoon had that game’s lone tally while Andrew “Smiley” Wilson earned the shutout between the pipes for Emo.
Besides winning the tournament, the Thunderbolts also skated to victory in the Holiday Shootout exhibition contest.
Witherspoon and Josh Pollard each collected five goals apiece while Wilson did his part by turning aside 13 of 16 shots.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
