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FARGO NORTH POWERS PAST CROOKSTON BOY’S HOCKEY IN REA CLASSIC

The Crookston Pirates Boys Hockey team had the opportunity to play at the Ralph Engelstad Arena Holiday Classic in Thief River Falls on Wednesday night. Their first-round opponent was the Fargo North Spartans. The Spartans boasted a high-powered offensive attack and utilized it on their way to a 9-1 win over the Pirates. “Sometimes you win and sometimes you learn,” said Pirates Head Coach Josh Hardy. “To beat a good team like Fargo North you have to have your best and we didn’t.”

FIRST-PERIOD –

The Spartans got the first six shots of the game, but Jaren Bailey was able to stop all of them keeping the game at 0-0. At the 6:32 mark, the Pirates would go on the Power Play and have an opportunity to score the first goal of the game. They would come up empty, and a few minutes later the Spartans opened the scoring on a goal from Nathaniel Fritel at the 11:20 mark. A few minutes went by before a Crookston penalty late in the first period gave Fargo North a Power Play chance. 25 seconds into the Power Play, the Spartans capitalized on a goal from Reece Dorsey to take a 2-0 lead with just 1:17 remaining in the period. Moments later Blake Melsa would be called for a penalty, and the Pirates would be down a man once again. They would do enough to prevent the Spartans from scoring before the end of the period, and head into the first intermission trailing 2-0, with the Spartans having 53 seconds remaining on their Power Play. Fargo North outshot the Pirates 15-2 in the first frame.

SECOND-PERIOD –

The Pirates were able to skate their way back to even strength, as they killed the remaining 53 seconds on the Spartans Power Play that carried over into the second period. There were two goals scored in the second period, both by the Spartans. Samuel Fritel made it 3-0 Fargo North at the 8:50 mark, and Owen Branson added another one at the 13:21 mark making it 4-0 Spartans. “We need to be tougher in our defensive zone,” said Pirates Head Coach Josh Hardy. “We got some young kids, we’re not a huge team but we have to find ways to be a bit more physical in our own zone.” Crookston would get a few looks at the Fargo North net but would be turned away, and the Spartans would take a 4-0 lead into the second intermission. Fargo North outshot the Pirates 28-5 through the first two periods and used strong defense to control the puck most of the night.

THIRD-PERIOD –

The Pirates had two Power Play chances in the final period but couldn’t find the back of the net on either. Fargo North would then respond with three straight goals to go up 7-0 with just under 6:00 remaining in the game. “Things got away from us a little bit there in the third period,” said Pirates Head Coach Josh Hardy. “That’s been the story for us so far this season. We can hang around for a while but eventually, it gets away from us.” Crookston wouldn’t skate away empty-handed, as Ashton Shockman took a pass from Jack Doda and found the back of the net with 4:29 remaining in the game. “Ashton (Shockman) is a kid that works really hard and he seems to be able to find the back of the net when he gets his chances,” said Pirates Head Coach Josh Hardy. “I thought Jack (Doda) made a great play on that one as well. It was a really strong play to set up that goal.”  The Spartans would add two more goals after that and secure a 9-1 win over the Pirates.

Jaren Bailey suffered the loss in net for the Pirates, making 29 saves and giving up 7 goals. Landon Walker came in for Bailey late in the game and made 4 saves while giving up 2 goals. Nolan Astrup got the start in net for the Spartans and made 10 saves while giving up 1 goal, earning the win.

Crookston falls to 0-7-1 on the season and will play their second and final game of the Ralph Engelstad Arena Holiday Classic tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. against Rock Ridge. “Rock Ridge is going to test us,” said Pirates Head Coach Josh Hardy. “We’re going to have to bring it right from the start and will have our work cut out for us.” The game will be carried on KROX starting with the RiverView Health pre-game show at 1:00 p.m. Fargo North improves to 6-3 on the season with the win. 

1st 2nd 3rd Total
Fargo North 2 2 5 9
CROOKSTON 0 0 1 1


1st Period
11:20 – Fargo North – Nathaniel Fritel (Ray Walen, Connor Holm)
15:43 – Fargo North – (PP) Reece Dorsey (Ray Walen, Brendan Richards)

2nd Period
8:50 – Fargo North – Samuel Fritel, (Reece Dorsey)
13:21 – Fargo North – Owen Branson (Logan Olson)

3rd Period
1:13 – Fargo North – Reece Dorsey (Nathaniel Fritel)
9:44 – Fargo North – Owen Branson (Brendan Richards, Logan Olson)
11:59 – Fargo North – Nathaniel Fritel (Ray Walen)
12:31 – Crookston – Ashton Shockman (Jack Doda)
13:29 – Fargo North – Brendan Richards (Logan Olson, Owen Branson)
16:09 – Fargo North – Koby Kiland ( Charlie Kalbrener, Brodie Milliard)

Saves 1st 2nd 3rd Final
Jaren Bailey – Crookston 13 11 5 29
Landon Walker – Crookston X X 4 4
Nolan Astrup – Fargo North 2 3 5 10

 

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