Current Muskie girls’ squad beats alumni

The 2009/10 version of the Muskie girls’ hockey team struck early and often en route to an 8-4 victory over their alumni Sunday afternoon at the ’52 Canadians Arena.
A good crowd gathered to watch the third-annual clash, with 24 alumni suiting up to challenge the current squad.

Ericka Tymkin put the young guns on top just minutes into the first period as she was sent in on a breakaway after nifty passes from fourth-year defender Kim LaFleur and first-year center Taylor Dixon.
The black-and-gold kept the pressure on throughout the first frame but stellar goaltending by alumni Kate Stearns kept the score 1-0 after one.
The Muskies padded their lead early in the second period as a nasty slapshot eluded Kim Pacarenuk, who had replaced Stearns in the alumni net.
A minute later, Carlee Bosma intercepted an alumni clearing pass and fired a high, hard wrist shot over Pacarenuk’s trapper to give the Muskies a 3-0 lead.
Being down three seemed to light a fire with the “old gals” as they worked the rust off their blades and started getting pucks to the Muskie net.
Former captain Carly Holt was sent in clean by longtime defender Jessica Barker, but Muskie netminder Melissa Payne made the save.
The Muskies then had a pair of great chances but Nicole Beadle and Ericka Tymkin both were stoned by Pacarenuk.
The alumni responded with a pair of breakaways by Nina Bird and Lindsey Roehrig, but Payne stymied both shooters. Then Payne’s big sister, Dani, set up Holt at the 9:20 mark of the second to cut the Muskie lead to 3-1.
The line of Hannah Firth, Sarah O’Sullivan, and Katie McTavish rekindled a little of their old magic as they combined to cut the Muskie lead to 3-2 with just over 8:23 left in the second.
Later in the period, with former Muskie captain Danielle O’Sullivan whistled for tripping (all penalties resulted in penalty shots), Carlee Bosma took the free pass to the net but once again was repelled by an ever hotter Pacarenuk.
Alas for the alumni, the momentum swung back to the Muskies as the smooth-skating Shae-lyn Smith picked the pocket of an alumni defender and scoring a beautiful breakaway goal to restore the black-and-gold’s two-goal lead.
Former Muskie defender MacKenzie Caul, currently a student at the University of Manitoba, had the last chance of the period but new Muskie goalie Dana Cridland turned away the penalty shot to keep the score 4-2 heading into the second intermission.
Brimming with confidence, and with their lungs still holding up quite well (or so they thought), the alumni asked for—and received—a longer third period in hopes of catching their younger opposition.
But their late-game bravado took an immediate hit as Jessie Baker and Nicole Beadle combined to light the lamp just 29 seconds into the final frame, with Beadle roofing a nice wrister over the shoulder of new alumni goalie Sarah Hoskins.
Alumni sniper Sarah O’Sullivan cut the lead to 5-3 as she danced down the right side and deposited a “seeing eye” wrist shot off the left post and in past Cridland with 18:21 left in the third.
The Muskies responded immediately, however, as Tymkin set up Dixon, who fired a high hard one over Hoskins’ shoulder for a 6-3 Muskie lead.
Not the sort of club to wave the white flag, the alumni stepped up the pace and drew a pair of penalty shots, but the stingy Cridland denied chances by both McTavish and Sarah O’Sullivan to preserve the three-goal advantage.
The black-and-gold then grabbed a 7-3 lead when Smith set up second-year centre Jill Langtry, who rifled a high hard shot that eluded Hoskins.
But once again the alumni battled back as former captain Lauren Pierce charged off the left point and slipped a nice feed to Sarah O’Sullivan, who put a bullet past a prone Cridland to make it 7-4.
The comeback stalled, however, as Langtry and first-year forward Danielle Jean combined on a pretty goal late in the third frame to round out the scoring.
Former Muskie Haven Labbe served as the alumni coach—and vowed to have her squad in tip-top shape for the re-match in 2010.
The “Great effort Grandma” awards went to Melanie Pierce, who played on the original Muskie girls’ team 10 years ago, as well as Kerry Hyatt, Ashlee Whalen, and Danielle O’Sullivan who, despite their advancing years, performed admirably for the alumni.
The Muskie girls now are wrapping up a three-day holiday series in Roseau, Mn. before getting back into regular-season NorWOSSA action against Kenora on Friday, Jan. 8 at the Ice For Kids Arena.
The Broncos currently lead the league with a 4-1 record while the Muskies are in third at 1-3.