Muskies split battle of Borderland

The Muskie hockey program earned a split in the latest instalment of their rivalry with International Falls on Monday night at Bronco Arena.
The evening got off to a promising start with the Muskie girls’ earning a 4-2 win over their Bronco counterparts.

But a rash of undisciplined penalties, coupled with some strong play by a pair of Bronco standouts, resulted in a 3-1 loss by the Muskie boys in the nightcap.
< *c>Muskie girls
After an inconsistent start to the season, the Muskie girls have been on fire of late—sporting an impressive 9-2-2 record over their last 13 games dating back to Dec. 8.
“We’re coming together better,” captain Carly Holt said of the winning streak. “The chemistry is better,”
“Our lines are learning how to play together better,” she added. “All around, we’re just improving every game.”
The team’s improvement has not gone unnoticed by head coach Lynn Kellar.
“We were quite pleased with the way they played,” he said after Monday night’s game. “I thought they moved the puck well and created lots of chances.
“We’d like to finish on a few more, but overall I thought we played well.”
Cortney Caldwell displayed her speed less than two minutes into the contest—blowing past a defender and breaking in alone on Bronco goalie Jessie L’Heureux.
Caldwell tried to go “five hole” on L’Heureux but she managed to get a piece of the puck and it dribbled wide of the post.
The black-and-gold were not to be denied, though, as moments later, Caldwell passed the puck to Taylor Meyers, who was parked in front of the Bronco goal.
Meyers wasted little time converting the opportunity for her 13th goal of the season.
The Muskies extended their lead to 2-0 in the second period on the power play.
With Britta Anderson in the box for tripping, Kimmy LaFleur fed the puck down low to Meyers, who, in turn, hit Kailey Curtis with a pass in the high slot.
Curtis one-timed the puck past a surprised L’Heureux for her eighth goal of the campaign.
The visitors appeared to put the game out of reach early in the third period when Caldwell got the puck to Kristen Penner, who fired a wrist shot into the top corner on L’Heureux’s glove side to give the Muskies a 3-0 advantage.
But a pair of Bronco goals by Taylor Raboin cut the lead to a goal—setting up a frantic finish.
Erin Kaemingh picked up a tripping penalty with 1:32 left in regulation and the Broncos decided to pull their goalie in favour of the extra attacker—giving them a 6-on-4 advantage for the rest of the game.
But despite being down two players, it was the Muskies who enjoyed the better scoring chances.
After Lauren Krukoski hit the post on a 75-foot clearing attempt, Erika Anderson sealed the victory with an empty-net goal after receiving a pass from Meyers—giving her team the 4-2 win.
In other Muskie girls’ exhibition action, the black-and-gold doubled the Silver Bay Mariners 4-2 at the Ice for Kids Arena here Saturday afternoon.
Miranda Kellar, Krukoski, Curtis, and Holt all tallied for the Muskies while Sara Trendiak earned the win between the pipes.
< *c>Muskie boys
Meanwhile, the Muskie boys’ hockey team had been riding an eight-game unbeaten streak prior to Monday night’s game against host Broncos.
And while the team was happy to rack up the wins, the Muskie coaching staff had been concerned about an apparent lack of interest displayed by the players.
To some, the black-and-gold appeared bored as they skated to relatively easy victories over lesser opponents.
However, motivation was by no means a concern Monday night against the Falls Broncos.
“We were pretty happy with our team’s effort out there tonight,” head coach Shane Bliss said afterwards. “We knew the Falls were going to be coming out to play tonight and they played well.
“Our boys responded well,” he commented, before adding, “They played hard out there.
“We got fired up pretty good out there,” said forward Kyle Turgeon. “The crowd really got us going.
“It’s always a big game against the Falls, a big rivalry,” he added. “It’s always fun to play.”
Both the Muskies and Broncos opened the game looking to establish a physical presence as the teams exchanged thunderous bodychecks in the early going—much to the delight of the packed house.
The Muskies broke the scoreless draw just past the midway point of the opening period.
After the puck was dumped into the Bronco zone, a race ensued between Kyle Turgeon and Falls’ goalie Brady Hjelle. The Bronco netminder tried to clear the puck but Turgeon partially blocked it.
The ricochet found its way onto Matt McLellan’s stick. With Hjelle well out of position, McLellan fired the puck into the yawning cage for his 17th goal of the season—giving the Muskies the 1-0 lead.
But Bronco standout Jake Youso would erase the Muskie advantage prior to the first intermission. The speedy forward collected a loose puck and skated around the Muskie goal before stuffing a wraparound past David Moen.
Fort High then got into penalty trouble in the second period. Already whistled for a slashing minor, Cody McCool lost his temper and was handed a 10-minute misconduct for arguing the referee’s call.
The Broncos wasted little time capitalizing on the advantage as Judd Leinum found Eric Olson, who, in turn, hit Youso with a pass. He fired a quick shot that dribbled through Moen’s pads and into the net for his second goal of the game.
Youso would pick up his third point of the night early in the third period as he and teammate Charlie LeDuc assisted on a Ladd Corrin goal to give the Broncos a 3-1 lead.
“Jake was at his finest tonight,” Bliss said of the talented Bronco after the game. “Tonight he was dangling.
“He drew four or five penalties with his speed, got two goals, and set up a third,” Bliss added. “He was a threat every time he was on the ice.”
The Muskies mounted a late comeback bid in the waning moments of the third period but were turned away by Hjelle, who made a plethora of key saves down the stretch to preserve the 3-1 lead.
“He [Hjelle] was big for them,” Bliss said. “He covers lots of the net, plays very solid, and squares up to the shooter really well.
“We definitely had our chances to score but that’s the way it goes sometimes.”
In other boys’ exhibition action, the black-and-gold skated to a 4-2 victory over the Red Lake Falls Eagles at the Ice for Kids Arena here Saturday afternoon.
Matt Hebert, Brian Glavish, Mitch Green, and Taylor Jorgenson all tallied for the hosts while Rich Wieringa picked up the win between the pipes.