Results mixed for Muskies

Staff

It was a weekend of very different results for the two Muskie hockey teams.
The Dryden Eagles used a late three-goal outburst in the third period to down the Muskie girls’ squad 4-1 yesterday afternoon at the Ice For Kids Arena.
After a scoreless first period, Hailee Lundmark opened the scoring for the visitors just over nine minutes into the second when she blasted a slapshot past Muskie goalie Jersey Masson.
Jill Calder drew the Muskies (1-2) even just over midway through the third when she banged in the rebound of a Makenna Henttonen shot past Eagles’ goalie Hannah Zilkalns.
But the visiting Eagles (2-0) exploded for three unanswered goals in the final five minutes to seal the win.
Saige McLeod collected a loose puck, sprung past the Muskie defence on a partial breakaway, and jammed it past Masson to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead with 4:29 to go.
Michaela Morrison then caught Masson off-guard with a shot from near the blueline that slid across the ice and went in five-hole to make it 3-1.
The Muskies pulled Masson late in an effort to try and force overtime but Cali Lappage netted an empty-netter with 24 seconds left to cap the scoring.
Zilkalns earned the win while Masson was tagged with the loss.
The Muskie boys’ squad, meanwhile, nabbed its first win of the season with a thrilling 5-4 win over the defending NorWOSSA champion Sioux Lookout Warriors in their home-opener Friday night at “The Duke” (Couchiching Arena).
Jace Dittaro opened the scoring for the Muskies (1-1) just 2:30 into the game on a man-advantage when he took a feed from Mike Ward and wired a shot past Warriors’ goalie Jaden Marshall.
Peyton Avis doubled the lead just over a minute later with a wrist shot from in close.
But the Warriors (2-1) showed some of their championship pedigree by battling back to knot it at 2-2 after 20 minutes.
Warriors’ sniper Cortez Favot buried the rebound of point blast over Muskie goalie Darian Klem with 12:17 to go before Isaiah Lawson notched the equalizer on a man-advantage with just over five minutes left in the frame.
Connor Nelson gave the Muskies the lead once again just under two minutes into the second when he went end-to-end before zipping a shot past Marshall while being checked.
But the Warriors evened it at 3-3 with just 2:15 left in the frame when Ben Forbes rushed around the Muskie defence while short-handed before tucking it past Klem.
Cole Magill put the black-and-gold back in front 4-3 just over eight minutes into the third when he chipped a backhander past Marshall.
A breakdown defensively in the Muskie zone less than a minute later proved costly as Kendall Schulz was left all alone in front of Klem and made no mistake in roofing a shot just under the bar to knot it at 4-4.
But showing some resilience, Ward netted the game-winner with just 4:30 to go when he poked in a rebound from the right side of the net.
Klem earned the win while Marshall was saddled with the loss.
The Muskie girls next will be in action tomorrow when they host the International Falls Broncos in the first of their annual two-game “Border Battle” exhibition series at 7:15 p.m. at the Ice For Kids Arena.
Then they’ll cap the week by heading to Portage La Prairie, Man. to play in the PCI Tournament this Friday and Saturday.
The boys resume NorWOSSA action Friday when they head to Kenora to face the Broncos.
Then they’ll cap the week by hosting the Eagles on Sunday (Dec. 2) at 4:15 p.m. at the Ice For Kids Arena.