sports

CROOKSTON BOY’S HOCKEY FALLS ON THE ROAD TO GRAFTON 3-2

December 19, 2023

The Crookston Pirate Boys Hockey team gave up two goals in the first period and that proved to be the difference in a 3-2 loss to the Grafton-Park River Spoilers in a game played in Grafton, North Dakota.

FIRST PERIOD
Crookston fired the puck off the opening draw into the Grafton-Park River zone, but the Spoilers quickly turned that into an odd-man rush. However, the shot missed the net, and the Pirates would escape an early opportunity by Grafton-Park River. A few minutes later, Kadin Edwards would get a breakaway chance as he raced into the offensive zone, but as he attempted to go to the backhand, he lost the puck. He quickly recovered the puck and threw a centering pass for Ryan Street, but it went just past his stick in front of the net. After that, Grafton-Park River’s Trace Anderson fired a pass from his end, and at the red line, James Larson chipped the puck forward, went into the offensive zone, and scored the game’s first goal to give the Spoilers a 1-0 lead. About a minute later, Masen Reitmeier had an opportunity as he went to the backhand with a defender flanking him, but his shot was saved.
Later in the period, Crookston drew a cross-checking penalty, sending the Pirates to the power play, but the Spoilers would kill it off. After the Pirates iced the puck, Grafton-Park River won the face-off and kept the puck in their zone as Waylon Schrank fired his shot into the net to give the Spoilers a 2-0 lead late in the first. Right before the period ended, Greyson Ecker stole the puck in the Pirates offensive zone and got a shot off but Sppilers netminder, Paul Suda made the save. Grafton-Park River would lead 2-0 after one period of play.

SECOND PERIOD
At the beginning of the second, Crookston would spend a lot of time in their offensive zone, creating a couple of shots, but the Pirates couldn’t find the back of the net. Grafton-Park River responded with a few shots, but Kelly stood tall in his crease, keeping the Spoilers’ shots out of the net. A few minutes later, the Pirates cleared the puck down the ice, and Ryan Street picked it up on a breakaway, but Suda came up with another save to keep the score at 2-0. A little later, Crookston would go on the power play as Grafton-Park River was called for a cross-check. Crookston would get the power play set up about 30 seconds into the man advantage, and Teagen Lubinski fired a shot that was blocked. The puck squirted to Ryan Street, who dished it to Carter Trudeau, and his shot was saved, but Tate Hamre was there for the rebound and pounded it into the net to make it 2-1 Grafton-Park River.
Crookston would return to the power play as Grafton-Park River got called for roughing. The Pirates generated some offensive zone time on the power play, but the Spoilers killed the penalty. Two minutes later, Crookston would return to the power play for the third time in the period. However, Jay Reese would get called for slashing one minute into the man advantage with 16 seconds left in the period. The teams skated the rest of the period, four aside, as they headed to the third, with Grafton-Park River still leading 2-1.

THIRD PERIOD
The teams opened up the period, four on four, and for a minute, the Spoilers had a power play, but Crookston killed it off. Kadin Edwards for Crookston was called for holding right after the teams were at even strength, sending the Spoilers back to the power play. For the first 45 seconds of the power play, Crookston kept Grafton-Park River out of their offensive zone, but James Larson in the neutral zone snagged the Pirates attempted clearance and went into the Spoilers zone and fired a shot into the net to give Grafton-Park River a 3-1 lead. 13 seconds later, the Spoilers returned to the power play as Teagen Lubinski was called for holding but the Pirates were able to kill off the penalty.
A few minutes later, Greyson Ecker took the puck from his own blue line and went up the near boards, raced around the Spoilers defenseman, and, from a sharp angle, was able to beat Suda to make it 3-2, Grafton-Park River still in the lead. With four minutes left in the game, Crookston would get called for holding and would send Grafton-Park River to the power play again. Twenty seconds into the power play, Crookston’s Jay Reese created an odd-man rush with Greyson Ecker as Reese took the puck up the ice and, right before being hit, centered it for Ecker, who stick-handled and fired a wrist shot that Suda saved. Crookston would kill off the rest of the power play but was called for roughing with 1:25 left in the game to send the Pirates short-handed, still trailing 3-2. With under a minute left, Crookston would gain the zone and be able to pull the goalie, but the Spoilers would keep the Pirates out of the net and pick up the 3-2 victory on their home ice.

Crookston drops to 4-2 on the year and will take on Thief River Falls on Thursday on KROX and the KROX YouTube stream.
Grafton/Park River is now 2-6 on the year and will head to Hallock on Thursday to take on Kittson County Central.

TO LISTEN TO COACH HARDY’S POST-GAME COMMENTS, CLICK BELOW: