The Bemidji Lumberjacks used their depth and experience to defeat the Crookston Pirates Boys Hockey team 12-2 Friday night in a game played at the Bemidji Community Arena.
1st Period
Bemidji would get the game’s first goal on Friday night short-handed when Nate Alto scored unassisted with 11:03 to go in the period. The Pirates would answer just a minute and a half later when Jack Doda fed Alex Longoria for the latter’s second goal of the year and the first power-play goal of the season for the Pirates, tieing the game 1-1 with 10:04 to go. “We looked okay in the first overall,” said Pirates Coach Josh Hardy. “Had the power-play going and were buzzing. Got a shot on goal, and guys were hungry around the net and batted home a rebound.” Bemidji would reclaim the lead four good with 6:16 to go in the period when Lincoln Huerd threw the puck out in front of the goal, and the puck bounced off a Pirate stick into the back of the net for a power-play goal and a 2-1 Bemidji lead. The Lumberjacks would extend their lead twice in the final 2:23 as Hunter Marcotte scored to make it 3-1, followed by Ethan Maish making it 4-1 with 1:05 to go in the period. Bemidji outshot Crookston 18-7 in the first period.
2nd Period
Bemidji would effectively put the game away in the second period, getting taking a 5-1 lead with 14:22 to play when a shot from Wyatt Mattfield appeared to be stopped by the blocker of Carter Nelson, but the puck slowly rolled up over the blocker into the back of the net. Colton Pickett would make it 6-1 with a goal with 11:59 to go. Kaleb Thingelstad would score his third goal of the season when the Lumberjacks goaltender fanned on a clearing attempt giving Thingelstad a great look that he buried to make it 6-2 with 9:17 to go. “It was kind of funky in the first,” said Hardy. “They had a goal that bounced off one of our guy’s sticks that took a bad bounce. It was 4-1, but we felt like we were playing better than that. They had two goals that were kind of wonky there. And then they scored a couple in the second, but Kaleb has the hot hand, and it was nice for him to get one there.” Marcotte would get his second of the night with 1:30 to in the period sending Bemidji to the locker room with a 7-2 lead.
3rd Period
The third period belonged to the Lumberjacks as Mattfield would get his second of the game just 1:12 into the period to make it 8-2. Three minutes later, Cooper Malkowski made it 9-2 with his first of the night. Colton Pickett’s second goal of the game gave Bemidji a 10-2 lead with 9:25 to play. Grant Declusin would score with 7:40 to go, making it 11-2 before Malkowski got his second goal of the period with just 30 seconds remaining in the game to make the final score 12-2, Lumberjacks. “It was tough for us,” said Hardy. “We ran out of gas out there. We’re playing a big school running four lines, and we’re barely able to get two lines out there with enough periods, so we ran out of gas. It was a learning experience. It’s no fun losing, but I think it was a good experience for some of our younger kids to realize the way you need to play against these bigger teams.” The Pirates were outshot 20-2 in the third.
The Pirates fall to 0-2 on the year and travel to Thief River Falls for a Section 8A game on Thursday, January 28. Bemidji improves to 1-3 and will travel to St. Cloud on Tuesday, January 26.
| Scoring | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final |
| CROOKSTON | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Bemidji | 4 | 3 | 5 | 12 |
1st Period
11:37 – Bem – Nathan Alto (unassisted) (SH)
10:04 – Crox – Alex Longoria (2) (Jack Doda) PP
6:16 – Bem – Lincoln Huerd (unassisted) (PP)
2:23 – Bem – Hunter Marcotte (Wyatt Mattfield, Connor Savard)
1:05 – Bem – Ethan Maish (Wylee Gladen, Tanner Rebischke
2nd Period
14:22 – Bem – Wyatt Mattfield (Cade Voge)
11:59 – Bem – Colton Pickett (Wylee Gladen, Ethan Maish)
9:17 – Crox – Kaleb Thingelstad (3) (unassisted)
1:30 – Bem – Hunter Marcotte (2) (Michael Dickinson, Cole Matetich) PP
3rd Period
15:48 – Bem – Wyatt Mattfield (2) (unassisted)
10:38 – Bem – Cooper Malkowski (Tate Hammitt)
9:25 – Bem – Colton Pickett (2) (Nathan Alto, Wyatt Mattfield)
7:40 – Bem – Grant Declusin (Cole Matetich, Rhett Seeger)
:30 – Bem – Cooper Malkowski (2) (Nathan Alto, Rhett Seeger)
| Saves | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final |
| Carter Nelson – Crox | 14 | 23 | 8 | 45 |
| Jaren Bailey – Crox | x | x | 7 | 7 |
| Tanner Rebischke – Bem | 6 | 6 | 2 | 14 |
