ALL FOUR LINES SCORE FOR CROOKSTON GIRL’S HOCKEY IN AN 8-1 WIN AT DEVILS LAKE

The Crookston Pirate Girl’s Hockey team came into Devils Lake (N.D.) a heavy favorite even though they were on a three game losing streak. The Pirates ended up with 68 shots on goal, having all four of their lines score as they beat the Firebirds 8-1 at the Quintin Burdick Arena in Devils Lake.

Crookston struck first just about seven minutes into the game when Reese Swanson a junior defenseman sent a whistler on net and a rebound came out in the greasy area and freshman Emma La Plante pounced on it to score her 10th goal of the year as LaPlante continues to make use of her ice time in scoring goals. A couple minutes later, Crookston would strike again, this time senior captain Jenna Seaver popped a rebound in after getting the puck from Addie Fee and Morgan Nelson and Crookston led 2-0. That lead lasted just over 30 seconds when the leading scorer in the state of North Dakota, Ashlyn Abrahamson,  scored her 15th goal of the year and she did so on her own, carrying the puck in, getting past a couple Pirates and her shot was blocked by Pirate goalie, Kailee Magsam, but the rebound came back to Abrahamson who didn’t miss the second time and the Firebirds cut Crookston lead in half at 2-1. Crookston continued to put on the pressure, but Mathea Nelson continued to keep the Pirates off the scoreboard with 27 saves in the period and Crookston led only by a 2-1 score. “I thought the first period was pretty sloppy and slow,” said Crookston head coach Emily Meyer,” it really wasn’t our game. We had to shake off the bus legs, some of the girl’s said their legs were heavy and we were making some of the mistakes we’re trying to break. We told them to forget about the first period and focus on what we’ve been working on in practice. We want to pepper their goalie, but we have to shoot with a sense of purpose and shoot for rebounds and get those rebounds with a better chance of scoring.”

Crookston started the scoring off in the second period on a Taylor Field goal that came after a Cassie Solheim shot that was initially saved by Nelson and she was down to the right side of her goal and left a wide open left side and that is where Field was and put in to give the Pirates a 3-1 lead. Near halfway through the period, the Pirates struck again, this time a beautiful passing play that gave them a 4-1 lead. Crookston had the puck in the Devils Lake zone, Swanson was at the Firebirds blue line, spotted Fee to the side of the net and hit her will a beautiful pass/fake shot and Fee slapped it back door. “Taylor’s rebound goal and Reese backdoor pass to Addie were great,” said Meyer, “those are the things we’ve been working on and it’s good to see it pay off for them.”  Crookston added one more in the period with two and a half minutes left when Ashlyn Bailey’s shot was saved but the rebound came to Brekken Tull and her first shot didn’t go, but she got her own rebound and snuck it in the short side to give Crookston a 5-1 lead at the end of two periods. “That is something that Brekken is always good at,” said Meyer, “she just has a nose for it, doing a good job of standing tall and taking the heat in front of the net on those types of play.”

Crookston jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the third period just over a minute in when Fee slipped a pass to Brynley Coleman who snapped a shot past the Firebird goalie, now 7th grader Delaney Parker, to widen the Crookston lead. Field scored her second of the game and 10th of the year as she put a backhander in to make it 7-1 on the sixth shorthanded goal of the year for Crookston. With running time, the Pirates added one more with just under three minutes to go as the fourth line got into the act when Emmi Trostad scored her second of the year from Paetyn Strand and Kaylie Clauson to make it 8-1 and time ran out. “We continued to play better as the game went on,” said Coach Meyer, “It was nice to see Brynley score because she has been working so hard and Emmi getting another goal to get all four of our lines on the scoreboard was a great way to end it.”

Crookston is 11-4-1 on the year with nine games left of their regular season and they will have three games next week, the first two of importance as both are Section 8A games, Thief River Falls at home on Monday night, at East Grand Forks on Thursday and on Saturday night they play Northern Lakes at the Walker Community Center in now an 8:00 PM game!! “The Thief River Falls and East Grand Forks are important for us,” said Meyer, “we haven’t seen the Prowlers since the first game of the season and we have to take care of both to solidify a second seed when playoffs come around.” Devils Lake falls to 1-7 on the
season and will play Bismarck Legacy tomorrow (Friday).

1st Period
6:42 – Crookston – Emma LaPlante (11) (Morgan Nelson, Reese Swanson)
8:55 – Crookston – Jenna Seaver (5) (Morgan Nelson, Addie Fee)
9:29 – Devils Lake – Ashlyn Abrahamson unassisted

2nd Period
3:09 – Crookston – Taylor Field (9) (Cassie Solheim)
7:24 – Crookston – Addie Fee (7) (Reese Swanson)
14:32 – Crookston – Brekken Tull  (10) (Ashlyn Bailey)

3rd Period
1:20 – Crookston – Brynley Coleman (5) (Addie Fee)
12:08 – Crookston – Taylor Field (10) (Kaylie Clauson)  (SH)
14:27 – Crookston – Emmi Trostad  (2) (Paetyn Strand, Kaylie Clauson)

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