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Rams stay perfect with two road wins
This past weekend the Rams hit the road for probably the biggest road trip of the year with key Section 8AA match-ups with the St. Cloud Tech Tigers and the Brainerd Warriors. With two wins in the trip the Rams could lock up the #1 seed in the section and finish with a 6-0 record in section play.
The first stop on the weekend came Friday night as the Rams would invade the St. Cloud Municipal Athletic Complex were they would face a determined St. Cloud Tech Tiger team. This is the same team that the Rams faced just six days earlier at Memorial Arena and skated away with a 4-1 victory.
This time the Rams and Tigers skated to a scoreless first period before the Rams added two shorthanded goals in the second period from Kevin Erickson and Nick Oliver. Joe Aplin notched his 12th of the season midway through the period to close the lead to 2-1. The Rams senior forward Ben Nelson gave the Rams a 3-1 lead and Aaron Ness fascinated the large crowd with a ESPN Play of the Day type goal while skating shorthanded and closing out the scoring for the game. With the 4-1 win the Rams improve to 20-0 on the season.
On Saturday the Rams made the one hour drive north to take on the Brainerd Warriors who entered the contest with a 14-5-1 record. The game was played in front of a record crowd at the Brainerd Area Civic Center with the home team looking for the upset over the top ranked Rams.
The key for the Rams in this one was to get off to a quick start and take the large home team crowd out of the game. This was accomplished as Jason Fabian and Tyler Landman each scored in the opening four minutes giving the Rams a 2-0 lead after one period. The second period couldn't start quick enough for the Rams as they once again came out flying scoring two more goals in the first three minutes with an even strength goal coming from Adam Knochenmus and ad powerplay goal coming from captain Dustin Moser. After a couple of missed scoring chances for the Warriors the period drew to a close with the Rams holding a 4-0 lead.
The third period the Rams once again got off to a quick start scoring just 14 seconds into the period with Tyler Landman notching his second of the game and 14th of the season. Nick Oliver scored his first of the night just over two minutes later sending the game into running time and the Rams led 6-0. Adam Knochenmus scored his second of the afternoon just 55 seconds later closing out the scoring for the game and giving the Rams a impressive 7-0 victory. The shutout was the 8th of the season for Rams goaltender Mike Lee as he faced 25 Warrior shots in the win. Brainerd netminder Kyle Peterson along with Lee Fiebiger who replaced Peterson after the 6th Ram goal finished with a combined total of 22 saves on 29 Ram shots.
With the win the Rams finish Section 8AA play with a perfect 6-0 record and secure the top seed in the section playoffs. The Warriors drop to 14-6-1 and will battle the Moorhead Spuds for the #2 seed in tournament play.
Next up for the Rams they close out Mariucci Conference play when they host the Thief River Falls Prowlers at Memorial Arena on Thursday, February 7th with game time set for 7:30 pm.
Rams earn sweep over Warriors
Tuesday night the Rams received goals from seven different goal scorers enroute to a 8-0 blasting of their arch rival Warroad Warriors at the Gardens in Warroad earning a sweep of the season home and away series.
The Rams opened the scoring early in the first when Dusty Moser finished a give and go with linemate Ben Nelson at 2:08 of the period to give the Rams the quick 1-0 lead. Shortly over three minutes later the Rams cashed in once again this time when junior Nick Oliver took a nice pass from Adam Knochenmus just off the left post and the Rams grabbed a quick two goal lead. That goal capped off the scoring for the period as the Rams took the lead to the dressing room for the first intermission.
Rams standout Aaron Ness extended the Rams lead to three goals at the 6:07 mark of the second period steering a nice back hander past Warrior netminder Garrett Corneliusen with the loan assist credited to Ryan Weston. That was Weston's second helper of the game and the Rams lead was at 3-0. At the 11:40 mark of the period Jason Fabian notched his 10th of the season with an assist going to Knochenmus. The 4-0 lead held through the end of the second period and the Rams took the four goal lead into the second intermission. Corneliusen was called upon to make 9 saves in the period while Mike Lee in net for the Rams had a quiet period as he faced only 4 shots for two period total of 10.
With the four lead entering the final period the question was would the Rams be content with their lead as they have in other games with commanding leads entering the final period. That question was answered quickly as Kevin Erickson scored his first of the night just 2:12 into the third. Jason Fabian and Knochenmus picked up the assists and the Rams held a commanding 5-0 lead. Just over 4 minutes later, the Rams speedy forward Knochenmus picked up his fourth point of the night as he converted a Nick Oliver pass sending the game into running time with the Rams leading 6-0. This prompted a goaltender change for the Warriors as Jared Paquin entered the game for the Warriors. At 13:55 of the final period Tyler Landman would score the loan powerplay goal for the Rams on the night with Ben Nelson and Aaron Ness credited with assists on the goal. The final goal came in the final minute of the game as Kevin Erickson scored his second of the night and closing out the scoring for the game and giving the Rams a solid 8-0 defeat over the Warriors. The Warriors, who were limited with scoring opportunities throughout the night, were only able to put 15 shots on Ram goaltender Mike Lee for the game while the a combination of both Garrett Corneliusen and Jared Paquin were called upon to steer away 25 Ram shots with Corneliusen taking the loss.
Next up for the Rams they hit the road and take on St. Cloud Tech and Brainerd this weekend. Game time for Friday nights game against St. Cloud Tech is at 7:30 pm at the St. Cloud Athletic Complex (MAC) and move north on Saturday for an afternoon matinee as they face the Brainerd Warriors at 3 pm at the Brainerd Area Civic Center. These are the final two Section 8AA regular season games remaining on the Rams schedule.
Rams down Pirates 4-2
Crookston Pirate Junior goaltender Matt Grove stole the show Thursday night as he turned aside 52 of 56 Ram shots and frustrating the Rams offense.
The Pirates coming into the game with a 2-14-1 record opened the scoring at 2:41 of the first period when Zack Mercil beat Rams goaltender Levi Nelson on a nice centering pass from Alex Edevold. That lead held up for just over seven minutes before Mike Koenig hit Jason Fabian with a perfect pass at the Crookston blueline getting behind the Pirate defenders. Fabian went in all alone on Grove beating him with a nice backhander just under the crossbar. At 12:02 of the opening period Kevin Erickson gave the Rams their first lead of the game as he scored his 6th goal of the season beating Grove on a wrap around to the near post. The Rams offensive onslaught continued one minute, thirty-three seconds later on the powerplay as Aaron Ness beat the Pirate goaltender with a quick shot from the top of the circle making it 3-1. Ben Nelson finished off the scoring for the period in the final minute when he cut across the slot and beat Grove with a backhander and sending the Rams into the first intermission with a 4-1 lead. Levi Nelson, getting the starting nod between the pipes for the Rams, saw light duty in the first recording 3 saves on 4 Pirate shots while Matt Grove was sharp finishing with 15 saves on 19 Ram shots.
The Pirates pulled back within two goals at 2:42 of the second period when Morgan Terpstra beat Nelson with assists credited to Zach Mercil and Luke Biermaier. Following the Pirate goal, the Rams dominated the remainder of the period but Grove was spectacular in net for the Pirates stopping the Rams on several point blank scoring chances including killing off a 5-on-3 powerplay. Grove finished the period with 18 saves while Nelson was called upon to kick out 7 Pirate shots. The Rams took the 4-2 lead into the third period holding a 33-10 shot advantage.
The third period had the Rams continue to dominated but the Pirate netminder continued to frustrate the Rams stopping a barrage of Ram shots including several on the second Rams 5-on-3 powerplay of the game. Roseau appeared to have finally broke Grove's armor at 14:15 of the third when Dustin Moser picked up a loose puck in front of the Pirates net and put it over the left shoulder of Grove but the official ruled that the Rams Tyler Landman had played it to Dusty with his hand and waived off the goal. With the Rams maintaining the two goal lead, Levi Nelson was called upon to make a couple saves late in the period to secure the win for the Rams. He finished the game with 15 saves on the night to improve to 2-0 on the season. Matt Grove, the Pirate netminder again was a busy fellow, and kicked out all 19 shots he faced in the final period for an impressive 52 save performance for the game.
With the Win the Rams improve to 8-0 in the conference and 17-0 overall.
Next up for the Rams they face a Section 8AA foe in the St. Cloud Tech Tigers at Memorial Arena on Saturday afternoon at 3 pm. Junior varsity is slated for 1 pm.
Knochenmus leads Rams in 8-0 Shutout
Sophomore forward Adam Knochenmus recorded a hattrick in Friday's 8-0 blanking of the Bemidji Lumberjacks in a friged but packed Nymore Arena in Bemidji, Minnesota.
The Rams held a 1-0 lead after the first period on a even strength goal by sophomore Kevin Erickson as he beat Lumberjack goaltender Derek Dudgeon with a backhander. Aaron Ness and Trevor George picked up the assists on the goal. Dudgeon finished the period with 13 saves while Rams tender Mike Lee faced only 5 Lumberjack shots.
The second period the Rams had one of their better periods of the season as they found the back of the net four times with a pair of even strength goals from Adam Knochenmus and a single tallies from both Tyler Landman and Kevin Erickson. Erickson's goal came on a Ram powerplay. Lumberjack netminder Derek Dudgeon again was very busy as he turned aside 15 Ram shots while Mike Lee faced only 3 in the period for the Rams.
At 2:21 of the third period, Tyler Landman recorded his second goal of the night on the powerplay and put this game into running time. Aaron Ness was credited with his fourth assist on the night with the other helper given to Ben Nelson. Midway through the period Knochenmus capped off his hatty as he beat Dudgeon on a nice pass from Nick Oliver. Senior Kyle Bodell closed the scoring for the game in the final seconds of the game notching his first of the season. Mike Lee finished the period with 3 more saves and finished with a game total of 11 while Lumberjacks goaltender Dudgeon had 7 saves and a three period total of 35 saves on 43 Ram shots.
The win improves the Rams record to 15-0 and 6-0 in Mariucci Conference play while the Lumberjacks drop to 7-9 for the season.
Next up for the Rams they play host to Section 8AA rival Moorhead Spuds on Tuesday at Memorial Arena with varsity game time set for 6:00 pm. The Rams defeated the Spuds 7-2 back on December 11 in Moorhead. The Spuds are coming off a 4-2 loss to the Warroad Warriors on Saturday afternoon.
This is the first of four big Section 8AA games for the Rams in the next two weeks as they play host to both Moorhead and St. Cloud Tech while and a return road contest with the Tigers as well as the Brainerd Warriors.
Rams stay undefeated with OT win
Just when it appeared that the Rams would fall to defeat for the first time since last January 22nd, Nick Oliver converted a centering pass from Dustin Moser with just 24.7 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into the extra frame. The goal came with the Rams on the power play after a tough holding call on the Riders in the final minute and Mike Lee pulled for an extra attacker.
The heroics weren't finished for the night for the Rams as senior Ben Nelson netted the game winner at 2:49 of overtime with a nifty backhander beating the Rider goaltender and keeping the Rams undefeated.
The Rams who struggled early mainly in the first period giving up several odd man rushes including a 2-on-0 and a 3-on-1 that required Ram goaltender Mike Lee to make several point blank saves. Lee faced 12 shots in the opening period while Riders netminder Pat Arnason was called upon to make 8 saves. The Rams would have been out of this one early without the play of Lee.
The second period the Riders took the lead on a fluke goal that had Red River dumb the puck into the Rams zone. Mike Lee went behind the net to play the puck but instead it kicked out into the slot to a wide open Jake LaDouceur who sent the puck easily into the open net. The Rams were unable to solve Arnason or the stingy Rider defense and the Rams trailed after two periods 1-0.
Overall, this was a game the Rams offense struggled early and goaltender Mike Lee kept a very talented Rider team to just one goal and keep the Rams within striking distance.
Next up for the Rams they are again on the road as they travel to Nymore Arena on Friday, January 18th and take on the Bemidji Lumberjacks with varsity game time set for 7:30 pm.
Rams shutout Bison 3-0
The Rams came into Saturday’s game with the Buffalo Bison trying to protect from having a letdown after an emotional victory over arch Rival Warroad on Wednesday night. The good thing is there was no apparent letdown but the problem for the Rams was there wasn’t any letdown for Bison netminder Jon Zitur either in this Section 8AA matchup.
The senior captain played stellar between the pipes for the Bison keeping the high power offensive attack of the Rams off the board for the first 26 minutes. Rams senior forward Ben Nelson finally found a way to solve Zitur as he sent a blast from the top of the right circle past a partially screened Bison netminder and the Rams led 1-0 with 7 minutes, 53 seconds remaining in the second period. Linemates Tyler Landman and Dustin Moser picked up assists on the goal. The Nelson goal seemed to spark the Rams even more as the they converted on a powerplay just over 4 minutes later as Aaron Ness blistered a shot from the point past Zitur who was completely screened on the play. The goal by Ness was his 15th of the season and 8th with the extra attacker. Nick Oliver and Dustin Moser were awarded helpers on the goal. The Rams held a 30-11 shot advantage after two periods and led on the scoreboard 2-0.
The third period, which hasn’t been a strong period for the Rams all year long, had the Rams pick right up from where they left off in the second as Ryan Weston picked up his first on the year increasing the Rams lead to three goals at 3:06 of the period. Rams senior Jason Fabian cut across the slot but lost control of the puck but it slid through the goaltender crease to a wide open Weston who was camped off the left post. Adam Knochenmus along with Fabian collected the assists on the final Ram goal. At 8:16 of the period the Bison’s Zach Blaisdell was awarded a penalty shot as a Ram defender was forced to take him down on a breakaway opportunity. Blaisdell, who made a great move from his backhand to his forehand and tried to beat Lee between the pads but Lee quickly closed the opening and denied Blaisdell to preserve his shutout. Junior goaltender Mike Lee finished the game with 15 saves to earn his 4th shutout of the season and improve to 12-0 on the year while the Bison backstopper Jon Zitur turned aside 40 of 43 Ram shots and suffers the loss.
Overall, I think the Bison earned the respect of the Rams faithful and had a chance to witness two of the top goaltenders in the state in Lee and Zitur.
With the win the Rams improve to 13-0 on the season and pick up their second win in Section 8AA play with key section games remaining with Moorhead, Brainerd and St. Cloud Tech.
The Rams return to action on Tuesday night but this time back on the road as they face a very talented Grand Forks Red River Roughrider team at Purpur Arena. Varsity game time is set for 7:30 pm with JV getting underway at 5:30 pm.
Rams win Herald-Jason Stadstad Classic
Nick Oliver redirected a Ben Nelson blast from point that beat Bloomington Jefferson Jaguar goaltender Jake Swansson with one second remaining in regulation to give the Rams a 4-3 victory Saturday night. The victory gave the Rams the title in the inaugural Herald Jason Stadstad Hockey Classic at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
After a scoreless first period the Rams were awarded a penalty shot at 8:38 of the second period when a Jaguar defenseman covered a puck in the crease area. Roseau’s Aaron Ness was selected to take the shot but was stopped by goaltender Jake Swansson. The big stop by Swansson seemed to give the Jags a spark as just 43 seconds later Tim LaBombard got Jefferson on the board first as he beat Ram goaltender Mike Lee with the lone assist going to Tommy O’Donnell. That lead was short lived as the Rams Tyler Landman scored a powerplay goal at 12:58 on a one timer feed from Dusty Moser. At 15:46 the Rams took their first lead of the game as Mitch Martinson scored his first of the year on a shot from the point that beat a screened Swansson. Nick Oliver picks up the assist on the goal and the Rams took a 2-1 lead to the second intermission. Jake Swansson had a busy period between the pipes for the Jags as he faced 15 Ram shots while Mike Lee in net for the Rams turned aside 6 Jaguar shots.
At 4:17 of the third period the Rams extended their lead as Adam Knochenmus’s centering pass to Nick Oliver from behind the net got past Swansson giving the Rams a 3-1 lead. Tim Tesarek along with Oliver picked up helpers on the goal. The Jaguars responded quickly just 14 seconds later as Tim LaBombard made a nice move beating the Ram defender but Lee was unable to handle the rebound as Anthony Rynda nailed home the loose puck and closing the Ram lead to 3-2. At 10:04 the Jaguars finished their 2-goal comeback as Zach Knight tied the game at 3-3. This goal setup a fantastic finish as both teams played the final 6 minutes, 56 seconds like they were playing for a state championship end-to-end action and excellent scoring chances by both teams. With the Rams sustaining pressure in the closing minutes of regulation, Dusty Moser was hauled down by Jaguar defensemen Zach Knight drawing a penalty and putting the Rams on the powerplay with 32 seconds remaining. After a Roseau timeout and the faceoff deep in the Jaguar zone the Rams controlled the play and with approximately three seconds remaining, Ben Nelson, playing the point on the powerplay, blistered a slapper that was redirected in front of the Jags goaltender by Nick Oliver beating Swansson between the pads just as the final buzzer sounded.
The heroics from Oliver earned him the Jason Stadstad player of the game honors and the Rams the championship of the inaugural Grand Forks Herald Jason Statstad Hockey Classic.
Jake Swansson finished the game with 29 saves on 33 Ram shots while Mike Lee turned away 19 of 22 Jaguar shots. With the win Lee improves to 7-0 on the season.
With the loss the Jaguars drop to 6-2-2 on the year while the Rams improve to 7-0 and play host to their own holiday classic next week on December 27-29. The Rams first opponent in the classic is the Lake of the Woods Bears with game time set for 8 pm on Thursday, December 27th.
Ness leads Rams to 7-2 Victory
Aaron Ness recorded the hattrick and added an assist to pace the Rams to a 7-2 win over the Grand Forks Central Knights on Friday night at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The win puts them into Saturday's championship game against another traditional hockey power in the state the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars. Jefferson advanced after beating Grand Forks Red River 4-3 after going scoreless in the 8 minute overtime and winning in a shootout. Game time for tonight's matchup is 7:30 PM with the third place game getting underway at 5 PM.
Rams shutout Bluejackets 6-0
Rams junior goaltender Mike Lee recorded his 2nd shutout of the season and Dusty Moser scored twice to lead the #1 ranked Rams to a convincing 6-0 win over the Hibbing Bluejacket Saturday afternoon at Memorial Arena.
The Ram as they have all year got off to a quick start when Adam Knochenmus beat Bluejacket goaltender Todd Sandstrom on a perfect pass from Ryan Weston on a two-on-one. Kevin Erickson, who started the play at center ice was credited with the second assist. Just over a minute later Dustin Moser added to the Ram lead scoring his second of the season with assists going to Ben Nelson and Aaron Ness. This gave the Rams a quick 2-0 lead within the first three minutes of the period. Roseau continued to pour on the pressure throughout the period but settled for the two goal lead entering the first period intermission.
The second period started with the Rams again on the attack this time scoring at 1:21 of the second period when Jason Fabian scored this second goal of the season with Adam Knochenmus picking up the lone helper on the play. Roseau continued to sustain pressure throughout the period putting 22 shots on Sandstrom but could but couldn’t solve the Bluejacket netminder. Mike Lee, who was making his fifth consecutive start of the season as he did in the first saw limited action in the period turning aside the three shots he faced for a two period total of seven shots on goal.
At 1:19 of the final period the Rams again struck quickly, Aaron Ness took a nifty pass from Ben Nelson waited for Sandstrom to commit and send a backhander past him giving the Rams a 3-1 lead. Twenty six seconds later Ben Nelson was able to return the favor as he beat Sandstrom giving the Rams at 4-0 lead. Ryan Weston picked up the second assist of the goal. Again, the Rams continued to roll as they dominated throughout the period putting another 11 shots on net. At 16:34 of the third period Dusty Moser recorded his second of the afternoon with the lone assist going to Tyler Landman. That closed out the scoring for the contest and the Rams skated to a 6-0 shutout victory.
Mike Lee finished the game with 14 saves and picked up his fifth straight win and his second shutout of the season. Bluejacket senior goaltender Todd Sandstrom finished with 41 saves on 47 Ram shots.
With the home victory the Rams improve to 5-0 on the young season while the Bluejackets fall to 3 wins and 5 losses on the season.
Roseau now travels to Grand Forks on Friday, Deceber 21st as they play in the inaugural Grand Forks Herald-Jason Stadstad Hockey Classic and take on host Grand Forks Central Knights at 5:30 pm at Ralph Engelstad Arena. The second game of the night will feature the Grand Forks Red River Roughriders and Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars at 8 pm. The winner’s faceoff on Saturday, December 22nd for the championship at 7:30 pm while the losers play in the third place game at 5 pm.
All proceeds from the two day event go to the Altru Cancer Center, Relay for Life and to Grand Forks youth hockey.
Tickets will be available at the Ralph Engelstad Arena Box Office.
Rams down the Spuds 7-2
The Rams received two goals from sophomore Cole Kostrzewski and three more from Junior Aaron Ness to pace the Rams to an impressive 7-2 win over top Section 8AA rival Moorhead Spuds at a packed to the rafters Moorhead Sports Center on Tuesday night.
Kostrzewski got the Rams started just 1:45 into the opening frame when he scored on a wrap around and beating Spud goaltender Coleman Wagner. Brooks Lommen picked up the lone assist on the Ram opening goal. Roseau increased their lead just 60 seconds later when Aaron Ness beat Wagner on a nice feed from Kevin Erickson. Roseau had numerous chances to increase their lead but miss fired on a couple quality chances which it looked like it might hurt them as Ben Ammerman scored shorthanded with just one second remaining in the period to cut the Ram lead to 2-1.
The question going into the second period was how would the late goal in the period effect both teams. The question was answered quickly as Aaron Ness picked up his second of the night at 1:41 of the second with helpers from Ben Nelson and Dusty Moser. At 9:38 of the second, with the Rams on the powerplay Jason Fabian ripped a shot past Wagner from high in the slot on a perfect feed from Ben Nelson. That goal seemed to take the wind out of the Spuds sails and gave the Rams a commanding 4-1 lead after two periods.
The third period was more of the same as goals by Dusty Moser and Ness once again extended the Rams lead to 6-1. This prompted a goaltender change for the Spuds and in came Cooper Holm. At 12:34 of the third Spuds veteran Joe Becker beat Rams netminder Mike Lee but those heroics were short lived as Cole Kostrzewski notched his second of the night just 11 seconds later to close out the scoring.
Mike Lee who was sharp the entire night finished with 21 saves and improves to 4-0 on the season while the tandem of Wagner and Holm finished with 28 saves and takes the loss.
With the win the Rams improve to 4-0 on the season and 3-0 in the conference and play host to the Hibbing Bluejackets at Memorial Arena on Saturday afternoon with varsity game time slated for 3 pm. Junior varsity is set to start at 1 pm.
Rams ride the wave to 4-1 victory
Rams junior center Tyler Landman recorded the hattrick and Adam Knochenmus added another to pace the Rams to a 4-1 Mariucci Conference win Saturday night at the East Grand Forks Civic Center.
The first period had limited scoring opportunities for either team as both teams had trouble mounting any time of offensive threats and it showed on the scoreboard as the teams went to the first intermission break scoreless. The Rams had the edge in shots for the period outshooting the Greenwave by an 8-5 count.
The Rams began the second period on the powerplay and Tyler Landman converted his first of three powerplay goals just :59 seconds into the period when he took a Dusty Moser centering pass and rifled it past Greenwave goaltender Alex Christianson. At 6:02 of the period Adam Knochenmus extended the Ram lead to two goals as he and linemate Nick Oliver went in on a 2-on-1, with Oliver drawing the defenseman to him then sliding a nifty pass to Knochenmus who patiently waited for Christianson to commit and sent a back hander into the open net. Both teams went scoreless the rest of the period and the Rams took the 2-0 lead to the dressing room after 34 minutes of play. Mike Lee faced only 3 shots in the period keeping the Wave of the board while Christianson was sharp again in the second finishing with 12 saves on 14 Rams shots.
The third period the Greenwave got off to the start they were looking just 58 seconds into the period as Michael Lukkasson picked up a turnover at center ice and went in alone on the Ram goaltender Lee. Lee made the initial save but Lukkason was able to convert his own rebound. This cut the Rams lead back to one goal at 2-1. The goal seemed to spark the Greenwave’s hopes of getting back into this game but those hopes were quickly erased as Tyler Landman scored his second of the night while on the powerplay, he picked up an Aaron Ness rebound beating Christianson. The ink wasn’t dry on the scoresheet yet when Landman finished off the hattrick 11 seconds later as he beat Christianson with a one timer on a pass from Ness. This closed out the scoring for the game and the Rams securing a 4-1 victory. Mike Lee finished the period with 7 saves on 8 Greenwave shots for a game total of 15. Alex Christianson had 5 saves in the third for a three period total of 25.
With the win the Rams improve their record to 2-0 in the Mariucci Conference and 3-0 overall. The Greenwave drop to 2-1 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
Next up for the Rams they travel to Moorhead on Tuesday, December 11 in a rematch of last years Section 8AA final. Game time for the varsity action is set for 6 pm with the JV game slated for 4 pm.
Lee verbally commits to be a Husky
Mike Lee picked up his 7th career shutout in a Rams uniform on Saturday night against Totino-Grace but that was the second biggest event of the day for the junior goaltender as a few hours earlier he made a verbal decision to attend St. Cloud State University. In doing so he Joins junior teammates Nick Oliver (St. Cloud State) and Aaron Ness (University of Minnesota) with D1 commitments to WCHA schools.
Rams down Eagles in home opener
Mike Lee registered his 7th career shutout along with first career goals from rookies Mike Koenig and Kevin Erickson leading the #1 ranked Rams to a 4-0 win over the Totino-Grace Eagles at Memorial Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Saturday’s matinee affair had the makings of a great goaltender’s battle as this game featured some great goaltending on both ends of the ice. Totino-Grace’s junior goaltender Tyler Olson was by far the busiest as he faced a barrage of shots in both the first and second periods turning away 23 shots through two periods holding the Rams off the board. Rams starting goaltender Mike Lee faced only 6 shots through the same time frame but had to be sharp to keep the game scoreless.
As he did in the season opener in Thief River Falls, senior forward Ben Nelson broke the ice getting the Rams on the scoreboard just 42 seconds into the third skating shorthanded beat Olson to the near side as he was sliding across to play the apparent centering pass to linemate Tyler Landman. The pass went off the left pad of Olson and in the net giving the Rams the 1-0 lead. Ram senior defenseman Mitch Martinson picked up the lone assist on the play. Specialty teams continued to pay dividends for the Rams as Aaron Ness picked up his third goal of the season on a Ram powerplay as he beat the Eagle goaltender with a blast from the top of the right circle. Nelson picked up his second point of the afternoon collecting the first assist while senior Dustin Moser picked up the second helper. The Rams maintained their 2-goal lead until the 13:00 minute mark of the period when sophomore Kevin Erickson sealed the deal on a picture perfect goal on a three way passing play with Ness and Landman. The goal was Kevin’s first as a Ram and opened up a little breathing room with the 3 goal lead. Junior defensemen Mike Koenig closed out the scoring for the afternoon as he picked up a loose puck in the crease are on a scramble in front of Olson. That goal was also the first goal for Koenig in a Rams varsity sweater.
Totino-Grace goaltender Tyler Olson finished the game with 39 saves on 43 Rams shots while Mike Lee in net for the Rams kicked out all 12 shots he faced for the shutout.
Next up for the Rams they travel to East Grand Forks on Saturday to take on Mariucci Conference rival East Grand Forks Greenwave. Game time is slated for 7:30 pm at the East Grand Forks Civic Center.
Rams start season with win at REA
On Tuesday, November 27 the Rams traveled south to open the season with long time Section 8 foe the Thief River Falls Prowlers in what some might call the palace of high school hockey in the state, Ralph Engelstad Arena.
Forward Ben Nelson wasted little time getting the Rams on the board scoring just 54 seconds into the opening period to get the season underway. Adam Knochenmus and Aaron Ness picked up the assists on the goal. Just over 5 minutes later the Rams added to their lead as junior defenseman Aaron Ness scored a powerplay goal with Tyler Landman and Mitch Martinson picking up assists. At 9:39 of the opening period with the Rams Nick Oliver serving a tripping penalty the Prowlers got on the board when Keaton Joppru beat Ram goaltender Mike Lee. Matt Audette picked up the loan assist on the Prowler goal. At 13:25, Aaron Ness picked up his second of the night giving the Rams back the two goal lead with Dusty Moser and Nick Oliver getting the helpers. The teams went scoreless the remaining minutes of the period with the Rams taking a 3-1 lead to the dressing room after one period.
The second period had both teams going scoreless until the 10:22 mark of the period when Ben Nelson notched his second of the evening on the powerplay. Aaron Ness and Adam Knochenmus were credited with assists on the goal. Just when it looked like the Rams would take the 4-1 lead into the second intermission the Prowlers Spencer Johnson scoring with 12 second remaining in the period to pull the Prowlers back to a two goal deficit at 4-2. This would prove to be the final goal of the game with a scoreless third period and the Rams picking up their first win of the season.
Junior goaltender Mike Lee picked up the win in net for the Rams finishing with 13 saves on 15 Prowler shots while sophomore Zane Gothberg suffered the loss for the Prowlers while turning aside 35 Ram shots.
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