PIRATE BOYS HOCKEY COMES FROM BEHIND TO BEAT PARK RAPIDS

The Crookston Pirate Boys Hockey team scored the last four goals of the game to come from behind to beat the Park Rapids Panthers 5-3 in a Section 8A game played in Park Rapids.
Tuesday night couldn’t have started any worse for Crookston in Park Rapids. Just 14 seconds into the game Nolan Pederson sent a pass to Brett Pioniemi at blue line who fired a wrist shot through traffic to beat Jack Ricord. Then just 3:23 later Pederson again fed Pioniemi who fired another wrist shot towards the net that was redirected by Jordan Baker into the back of the net and Park Rapids had a 2-0 lead with 13:23 to go in the first. Sam Overgaard would make a great individual effort late in the period starting behind his own goal, outskating everyone and getting to the front of the Park Rapids goal where he beat Brendan Kruchowski to cut the Park Rapids lead to 2-1 with 6:03 to go in the first.
“Sam had an unbelievable effort there, and he does a nice job carrying the puck out as a forward converted to defense who is comfortable with the puck,” said coach Josh Hardy. “Not to take anything away from Sam, but we had a lot of individual efforts in the first period, not a lot of team effort. Individual efforts look pretty, but we need to get more towards playing as a five-man unit on the ice which we did better in the second period.”
In the second period, Park Rapids used a turnover in the defensive end by the Pirates to take a 3-1 lead on a shorthanded goal from Pioniemi. Cameron Hoyt picked up the turnover inside the blue line, spun and fired on Ricord who came high out of the crease to make the stop, but the puck caught his pads and fluttered off into the right faceoff circle. Pioniemi beat Logan Wardner in a foot race as Ricord was unable to scramble back to the net and his second goal of the night gave Park Rapids a 3-1 lead 7:51 to go in the second period.
Eric Delorme would start the Pirate comeback when Brock Heppner passed to Delorme in the left circle, and he lifted a shot over the shoulder of Kruchowski for a powerplay goal with 5:35 to go. Thirty seconds later Park Rapids would go short-handed again and Delorme was again working out of the left circle sent a centering pass to the top of the crease that was redirected under the crossbar by Joey Doda tying the game with 4:24 to go in the period.
Then with 2:46 to go in the period, Brock Heppner won a clean faceoff to the right of the goal back to Delorme who slammed the puck past the Panther netminder for the eventual game-winner and a 4-3 lead. “We won two draws right in a row like that, the first one hit a shin and the goalie saved it,” said Eric Delorme. “We got a second draw just like it and it got through right to the net.”
In the third period, Joey Doda would give the Pirates some breathing room 26 seconds into the period. Eric Delorme fired a shot that was saved by Kruchowski and a mad scramble for the puck ensued in front of the net. Brock Heppner was finally able to push the puck across the top of the crease to Doda who scored his second goal of the night and fifth in the last two games.
Crookston’s power play broke through in the game as the Pirates went 2-for-6 on the power play. They also went 2-for-2 killing penalties.
Park Rapids falls to 2-6, 1-5, snapping a two-game winning streak. Crookston improves to 1-6-1, 1-2 and will host Thief River Falls on Thursday.

      Brock Heppner battles in the faceoff dot

1st Period
16:46 – Park Rapids – Brett Pinoniemi  (Nolan Pederson)
13:23 – Park Rapids – Jordan Baker  (Brett Pinoniemi)
6:03 – Crookston – Sam Overgaard  (1)   unassisted

2nd Period
7:51 – Park Rapids – Brett Pinoniemi  (Cameron Hoyt)  (SH)
5:35 – Crookston – Eric Delorme  (4)   (Joey Doda, Ben Andringa)
4:24 – Crookston – Joey Doda  (6)  (Eric Delorme, Jacob Anderson)  (PP)
2:46 – Crookston – Eric Delorme  (5)  (Brock Heppner)

3rd Period
16:35 – Crookston – Joey Doda (7)   (Brock Heppner, Eric Delorme)

                       Joey Doda tips a shot on goal