The Crookston Pirate Boys Hockey team scored four goals in the third period to down the Breckenridge/Wahpeton Blades 7-2 at Stearn’s Sports Arena in Wahpeton Tuesday night. This is Crookston’s second win over the Blades this season.
FIRST PERIOD –
The game started out slow, thanks in part to strong play by both goalkeepers and penalties from both sides. The Blades fired three of the first four shots, all of which led to Parker Kelly saves. The Blades had a chance to snatch momentum after Crookston’s Tate Hamre was penalized for high sticking, but the Pirates were able to kill the penalty. Breckenridge-Whapeton’s Xander Klinnert was also sent to the box for high sticking at the end of the period, but the Pirates were unable to capitalize on the power play. Puck control was relatively even throughout, but Crookston took seven of the final eight shots in the scoreless first period.
SECOND PERIOD –
The penalties continued in the second, as Crookston’s Ryan Street was hit with an interference call. The Blades killed the penalty, but they could not seize momentum. Crookston scored the first goal of the contest at 5:45 in the 2nd on a Tate Hamre blast. Breckenridge-Wahpeton’s Easton Neppl answered to tie it at 1 each just over a minute later. Hamre broke the tie with another goal at 10:19, with assists from Michael Bochow and Brandon Colborn. Crookston extended the lead to 3-1 after Greyson Ecker scored with just two minutes to go in the frame. Coincidental minors were called due to a scuffle just seconds after Ecker’s goal, and the score stayed at 3-1 after the second period.
THIRD PERIOD –
Crookston came out of the locker room hot in the third, with Jay Reese adding a goal just eleven seconds into the period. The Pirates weren’t done after that, as Ecker tacked on his second score of the night at the 4:42 mark. Grant Funk got in on the scoring at 10:51 to make it 6-1 Pirates. The Pirates couldn’t stay out of the box though, as Jay Reese was called for a high stick. The Blades took advantage of the power play and scored just 22 seconds into the 5-on-4 to cut the deficit to 6-2. The Blades would be penalized following the goal, and the Pirates were able to make the most of the power play. They burned off most of the two minute penalty, and Tate Hamre capped it off with a goal at 14:16, when there were less than 10 remaining on the power play. Hamre’s hat trick and an assist made him one of three Pirates to score four points in the game, alongside Greyson Ecker and Garrett Fischer, who finished the game with 5 assists. Each team was penalized again in the final minutes, but nobody else was able to score, as Crookston came away with a 7-2 victory.
Crookston improves to 14-7-1 on the year. The Pirates will host Lake of the Woods on Friday. Breckenridge-Wahpeton drops to 8-14-1 on the season.
J. V. – Breckenridge-Whapeton won 5-1
Listen to postgame comments from Crookston head coach Josh Hardy:
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final |
| Crookston | 0 | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Breckenridge/Wahpeton | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
1st Period
no scoring
2nd Period
5:45 – CHS – Tate Hamre (Garrett Fischer)
6:53 – BW – Easton Neppl (Brennan Ritter, Matt Peterson)
10:19 – CHS – Tate Hamre (Michael Bochow, Brandon Colborn)
3rd Period
0:11 – CHS – Jay Reese (Greyson Ecker, Garrett Fischer)
4:42 – CHS – Greyson Ecker (Garrett Fischer, Jay Reese)
10:51 – CHS – Grant Funk (Greyson Ecker, Tate Hamre)
11:54 – BW – Gracin Kaste (Easton Neppl, Matt Peterson) (PP)
14:16 – CHS – Tate Hamre (Garrett Fischer, Brandon Colborn)
| Goalie | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total |
| Parker Kelly – Crox | 6 | 4 | 6 | 16 |
| Cale Gilbertson – BW | 9 | 15 | 16 | 40 |
