CROOKSTON GIRL’S HOCKEY EXPLODE FOR 4 GOALS IN 3 PLUS MINUTES TO WIN 8-1 OVER ROCK RIDGE

How would the Crookston Pirates respond after losing three games in a row including playing a number one and number two ranked teams in the State Class A polls? “I told them to go and play like they did for a period and half against Warroad on Tuesday night,” said Emily Meyer, Crookston head coach. After a 1-1 first period, Crookston exploded for four second period goals in three and a half minutes to take a 5-1 lead and finished it off with three in the third and an 8-1 win over Rock Ridge in Virginia. Rock Ridge is in its first year of consolidation of Eveleth-Gilbert and Virginia, although the teams have been cooping in girl’s hockey for a number of years,” said Earl Fitzgerald the head coach for the Wolverines.

FIRST PERIOD
Crookston dominated the offensive zone in the first period and it took a while to get a shot on goal but they did when Brynley Coleman found a rebound and top shelved it for a 1-0 lead for the Pirates. “It was Aleah (Bienek) that took the shot and the rebound came to me and I was able to one-time it and go top shelf for the goal,” said Coleman, “I’ve been trying to go top shelf and haven’t been able to do it and this time I didn’t wait and drilled it for the goal.” Coleman is a sophomore from Hatton, N.D. that is part of the Crookston, Mayville, and Hatton cooperative. “We are having a lot of fun,” said Coleman, “Every day after school, I head to Parker’s (Strand) house in Mayville and we head for Crookston for practice and back home every day including games. It’s really nice to have someone to ride with.” Rock Ridge would score late in the first period to tie it at 1-1. Jennie Krause was on a breakaway and was stoned by Pirate goalie, Jacey Larson, but Rock Ridge kept control of the puck and Natalie Bergman was able to pass it across the crease back to Krause to knock it in and the first period finished at 1-1. “We had some good opportunities in the first period,” said Coach Meyer, “We did about everything but score, with maybe our best chances not making it on net.”

SECOND PERIOD
Things were going much the same way in the second period with Rock Ridge clearing the puck every chance they got and they swarmed around their goaltender which made it tough for the Pirates to get good looks. That started to change about halfway through the second period when Addie Fee fired a rebound past Rock Ridge goalie Daisy Andrews for her fourth goal of the year. Just over a minute later, Jenna Seaver scored her first goal of the year poking a puck just past the goalie on good second effort work from the junior. A minute and 20 seconds later sophomore Brekken Tull scored her fifth goal of the year, “Aleah got me the puck out in front and I shot it but not very strong and I thought the goalie stopped it, but I saw the referee point it was a goal and it eventually made it through her five-hole.” Crookston wasn’t done, when 50 seconds later senior Samantha Sanders let a slap shot go in the middle slot that shot past the goalie and the outburst was complete for the second period and Crookston led 5-1 after two periods. “We really got it going in that stretch,” said Coach Meyer, “Our players were really flying and for that part of the period anyway we kept Rock Ridge from getting out of their zone and they were just trying to get it to center ice to relieve our pressure. We passed the puck well, worked together well, and were having some fun too.”

THIRD PERIOD
Reese Swanson started off the scoring early in the third period playing defense and followed the play into the Rock Ridge zone and Grace Fischer sent a pass back to the trailer and Reese leaned on a shot that the goalie didn’t see and the sophomore had her fifth goal of the season and the Pirates led 6-1. It went to running time with about seven minutes left in the game and Tull scored her second of the game as she had her back to the Pirate blue line and a Samantha Sanders shot which Tull reached around and behind her to get her stick on the puck and redirect it for the goal. “No, I didn’t know I scored,” said Tull, “I thought the goalie stopped it, but it went in and all was good. Our line has worked well with Aleah and Cassie (Solheim) and it’s good getting everybody back.” The Pirates capped off the score on a beautiful goal that started with Fee banking a pass up to Ashlyn Bailey and she and Morgan Nelson were coming on a two on one. Once they got in close, Bailey passed over to Nelson who could of taken the shot, but one-timed it back to Bailey who tapped it in for her third goal of the season and finished off an 8-1 win over the Wolverines. “We did a lot of things right tonight,” said Meyer, “the girls were trying to get their one-timers down and scored like that, we tipped in a goal, had a shorthanded and a power play and that last goal was a perfect tic-tac-toe by Morgan and Ashlyn. Morgan really wanted to score a goal but still unselfishly gave it up. That is how we want to play the game.”

Crookston outshot Rock Ridge 40-11 in the game, “I know Jacey wanted to face more shots than 11,” said Meyer, “but she did fine and sort of a quiet night for her, but she picks up a win.”

Crookston is 5-3 on the season and will be at International Falls tomorrow afternoon for a 4:00 PM varsity-only game. “We’ve had a nice trip up today, the girls visited the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame at Eveleth,” said Meyer, “we are staying in International Falls tonight and the girls keep asking if we can find a bowling alley as they want to bowl tomorrow. So, it has been a good bonding weekend again and you can notice it on how the girls are interacting with each other and they all seem to be having a good time.”
Rock Ridge is now 2-7 on the season and they will travel to International Falls themselves on Thursday.

JV –  Crookston won 5-1 (Logan Brekken-2, Parker Strand, Emma LaPlante and Adelia Weiland had one goal. Julia Buhler was goalie with 13 saves).

1st Period
9:31 – Crox – Brynley Coleman (Aleah Bienek, Ashlyn Bailey) (PP)
2:06 – RR – Jennie Krause (Natalie Bergman)

2nd Period)
8:03 – Crox – Addie Fee (Aleah Bienek) (SH)
7:48 – Crox – Jenna Seever (Reese Swanson, Jocelyn Brekken)
6:21 – Crox – Brekken Tull (Aleah Bienek)
5:30 – Crox – Samantha Sanders (Brynley Coleman, Addie Fee)

3rd Period
14:12 – Crox – Reese Swanson (Grace Fischer, Jenna Seaver)
7:09 – Crox – Brekken Tull (Samantha Sanders, Aleah Bienek)
00:55 – Crox – Ashlyn Bailey (Morgan Nelson, Addie Fee)