Kittson County Central’s Tyler Hennen scored three goals in the first period and added a goal in the third to lead the Bearcats to a Section 8A win Crookston Pirates Boys Hockey team 5-0 in a game played at the Crookston Sports Center.
The Bearcats dominated the game in the first period, but it would take nearly eight minutes before they’d get their first goal of the game when Calvin Hanson found Tyler Hennen for a 1-0 lead with 9:43 to go in the first period. Hennen would pick up his second goal of the game, unassisted, with 3:18 to go in the period to build a 2-0 Bearcats lead. Hennen’s third goal of the opening period came with 1:52 to go on a pass from Landon Sugen. “Three quick goals for him,” said Pirates coach Josh Hardy. “We just weren’t very good in the first top to bottom. We tried to implement a few different things this week and trying to capitalize. Obviously, we don’t have a lot of guys right now and are trying to find an edge somewhere. It wasn’t quite fully implemented yet, and we got lost in our zone a couple of times, and they made us pay.” The Bearcats outshot the Pirates 18-7 in the first period.
In the second period, the Pirates came out with a good bounce to their step and good puck possession. However, even aided by a powerplay opportunity, they were unable to make a dent in the Bearcats lead. After killing off the Pirates powerplay, the Bearcats won a defensive zone faceoff into a set rush up ice that created a four-on-two scoring chance. Hayden Hennen carried the puck around is own net before racing up the left wall with the three forwards trailing a step behind him. Hennen moved toward the left corner patiently waiting for an open passing lane to develop before dropping the puck onto the stick of Calvin Hanson, who lifted it into the back of the net for a 4-0 lead with 6:33 to go in the second. “Despite trying to implement a few things and trying to see if things work, our effort in the first period was pretty poor top to bottom,” said Hardy. “Not a great effort period for us. We came out in the second period and had a bit of a jump in our step. Again had opportunities, we were on the powerplay a ton tonight couldn’t quite find the back of the net. Feels like we’re building some momentum, and they get a backbreaker with that fourth goal.” The Pirates would get another powerplay opportunity late in the period but were unable to generate much traffic in front of the net and headed into the locker trailing 4-0 after two periods. The Pirates outshot the Bearcats 8-5 in the second period.
The Pirates opened the third period stronger offensively with a substantial presence along the top of the crease deflecting several shots on goal, but the Bearcats Wyatt Olsonawski was up to the task of keeping the Pirates off the board. “Wyatt played great tonight,” said Hardy. “I thought we had a good stretch there. We maintained possession in the zone and buzz for a while but couldn’t find the back of the net. You keep pushing, keep pushing, it’s frustrating.” Midway through the period, the Bearcats would get a rush when Luke Misson fired a shot on goal that was stopped by the Pirates Carter Nelson, but the rebound popped up in the air and Hennen batted the puck home for his fourth of the night to extend the lead to 5-0 with 6:50 to play. The Pirates would get a 5-on-3 powerplay late in the period following coincidental minors to the Pirates Jack Doda and the Bearcats Hayden Olsonawski for roughing along with a minor to the Bearcats Hayden Hennen for hooking. A minute later, the Bearcats Adam Gustafson was given a two-minute minor for high-sticking resulting in the 5-on-3 powerplay. The Pirates, though, were unable to get a shot on goal during the two-man advantage. “We have to keep things simple,” said Hardy. “I thought tonight we struggled on puck races. Our compete level wasn’t great at times, so we have to try to simulate that in practice tomorrow and be ready for a long bus ride on Thursday and, hopefully, a good game.” The Pirates outshot the Bearcats 13-9 in the third period.
The Pirates fall to 1-16 on the year and will travel to Breezy Point on Thursday for a game against Northern Lakes at 7:30 p.m.
| Scoring | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final |
| Kittson Co. Central | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| CROOKSTON | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1st Period
9:43 – KCC – Tyler Hennen (Calvin Hanson)
3:18 – KCC – Tyler Hennen (2) (unassisted)
1:52 – KCC – Tyler Hennen (3) (Landon Sugden)
2nd Period
6:33 – KCC – Calvin Hanson (Hayden Hennen)
3rd Period
6:50 – KCC – Tyler Hennen (4) (Luke Misson)
| Saves | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final |
| Wyatt Olsonawski – KCC | 7 | 8 | 13 | 28 |
| Carter Nelson – Crox | 15 | 4 | 8 | 27 |
