|
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. |