NORTH BAY—The Mustangs boys’ hockey team had a successful weekend away when they took on high school powerhouses from around the North, and across the province, at the Nipissing District Athletics Boys’ High School Tournament Friday through Sunday.
“We did really well, better than I ever expected,” proud head coach Brad Bond shared on Monday morning.
In the first game of the tournament, the Mustangs played the Chippewa Raiders, winning the game 1-0. It was then on to a challenge against North Bay’s Scollard Hall, but the Mustangs weren’t able to stable this competition and lost the game.
The third match of the tournament saw the ‘Stangs face off against Superior Heights, winning the game 3-1. This meant a quarterfinal game against Burlington AAA powerhouses the Nelson Flames.
“We scored with 14 seconds left in the third period to take a 4-3 victory,” the coach shared. “The boys dug deep for this one—it was an emotional game.”
The Mustangs moved on to the finals for their pool, which meant a match-up with Central Algoma. The teams were a close match, with the score all tied up at 2-2 at the end of regulation time, but the Mustangs were having little success around the Huskies’ net.
With 23 seconds left in the second overtime period, the Huskies got a lucky break and bounced one in. The Mustangs took home the silver medal.
“The boys played great all weekend and they now know they can play against everybody,” Mr. Bond said. “It was a real teambuilding weekend that will get them ready for the next tournament (in Toronto this weekend).”
