Brawlers win RR tourney

Ken Johnston
Editorial@RainyRiverRecord.com

It was close but in the end the Border Brawlers of Rainy River came out on top of Warroad in the annual men’s Rainy River Recreation Board Fall Hockey tournament.

Rainy River came out of the gate determined to get the first goal of the game and gain a psychological advantage against a strong Warroad team. At the 5:50 mark of the first period Ryan James of the Brawlers did just that.

However that lead was short lived as Warroad scored a little over a minute later to tie it.

At the 9:20 mark it appeared that Warroad was going to break that tie when Derek Ewald of the Brawlers prevented a Warroad breakaway by tripping a player. Warroad opted for the penalty shot instead of a man advantage for three minutes. They missed the shot and both teams were back at full strength.

Applying pressure immediately after that Dennis Ewald of the Brawlers picked up a pass at the blue line and chopped a bouncing shot at the net. The puck went in and RR ended the period ahead 2-1 and outshooting Warroad 8-5.

In the second period Warroad stepped up their attack to outshoot RR 9-3 but only managed one late in the period at 13:03. However at 3:39 Ryan James of RR picked up his second goal. It was 3-2 after 2.

The next period was a battle of strong defense and great goal tending.

Warroad outshot RR 11-5 but it was not until 11:38 that they beat Mark Petkau of the Brawlers to tie it. Less than a minute later a determined Brawler rifled one past the Warroad net-minder to get the winning goal. With 30 seconds left on the clock Warroad pulled their goalie but it was in vain as the Brawlers held them off to win the tournament with a 4-3 victory.

In the B event the Double Hung Widow Makers of Rainy River faced Hoppers Bruins of Fort Frances. Despite having played a game right before their match with the Makers, the Bruins played with superior poise and confidence and beat them 7-2.

In the first period the Bruins hopped to an early lead at the 1:50 mark and then picked up another one at 11:08. They were answered by Garrett Bowman who scored at 12:21 with John O’Connor assisting.

The second period saw things stay close with the Makers staying within one at 14:30 when Brendan Nordberg picked up a rebound from a shot made by Joe Dobransky. The Bruins had widened their lead early on with a goal at 2:51.

In the third the Makers were dominated by the Bruins who scored four unanswered goals. The Bruins outshot the Makers 36-15.

Top prize in the A event was $1,000. Second in the A received $600 and first in the B received $400.