Staff
Even though the Fort Frances Pharmasave Wildcats lost all four games at a tournament in Dryden over the weekend, the players still are hanging their heads high.
“[We] played well and games could have gone either way,” the team said in a press release.
The Wildcats opened play Friday against the Dryden Eliminators, falling by a 7-4 margin.
Chantal Jodoin tallied at 4:37 of the first to put the Wildcats up 1-0, but Mary Carter and Kristen Bartlett struck back to put the Eliminators ahead 2-1.
Nicole Beadle evened the affair at 2-2, scoring at 11:05 of the second, but Kyley Engstrom notched a quick pair to stake Dryden to a 4-2 lead.
Beadle netted her second of the game at 7:06, but Engstrom completed her hat trick three minutes later to make it 5-3.
Katie Findlay extended Dryden’s lead at 5:20 of the third, but Beadle came up with her hat trick goal at 2:35 to get the Wildcats within 6-4.
But that was as close as they would get, with Carter rounding out the scoring late in the game to seal the 7-4 win.
Beadle earned player-of-the-game honours for her effort.
The Wildcats then squared off with a second Dryden team later Friday, this time falling 7-3 to the Dryden Bruins.
Carly Dorfman got things started at 11:49 of the first, but Katrina Wreggitt responded just over a minute later to tie the score.
The see-saw battle continued into the second as Emma Shepherd nudged Dryden ahead at 11:42. But that lead didn’t last long, either, as Beadle knotted things just 1:02 later.
Alex Wesley and Kimmy Holt traded goals as the second ended, then the Bruins added another just before intermission to take a 4-3 lead into the third.
Wesley tallied again while Joy Launderville and Michelle Williams also lit the lamp in the third to secure the Bruins’ victory.
Bridget Jorgenson drew a pair of assists to capture the player-of-the-game nod for Fort Frances.
Saturday’s games were closer for the Wildcats, starting with a 4-2 loss to the Thunder Bay Magic and ending with a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Nipigon.
In the early game, the Wildcats were unable to recover from a 3-0 first-period deficit although Beadle scored a pair of goals 20 seconds apart to claw within 3-2 in the second.
But the Magic added an insurance marker late in the middle frame to lock down the win.
Bantam call-up Shelby Rea was named player of the game for the Wildcats.
In the late game, Nipigon opened the scoring as time ticked down to end the first, but Wreggitt got the Wildcats onto the scoresheet at 9:49 of the second.
Wildcats’ goalie Cassie McLellan was shaken up in the period, but after a 10-minute delay was able to take her position in the net to complete the game.
Nipigon notched the eventual game-winner at 3:53 of the third, then sealed the win with just over a minute to go.
Wreggitt earned player-of-the-game honours for Fort Frances in that one.
