CROOKSTON GIRL’S HOCKEY DEFEATS INTERNATIONAL FALLS 7-2 FOR THIRD WIN IN A ROW

Trailing 2-1 after a period of play the Crookston Pirates scored four times in the second period, outshooting International Falls 22-1 in the period and lead the Pirates to a 7-2 win over the Broncos at the Bronco Arena in I-Falls.

Crookston started the game with a freshman, Madelyn Abrams, who, in goal for her first varsity game, was rolling four lines and six defensemen. The Pirates played 19 players, which saw International Falls score two goals on four shots. The first goal was a Bronco defenseman shooting a puck just wide of the Crookston net and bounced back to the side of the net, and Ava Werner knocked it in past Abrams and a 1-0 lead for the Broncos just over four minutes in the game. Six minutes later, the Pirates would answer when Kaylie received a pass in front from Cassie Solheim and turned and fired it past Mara Pelland, the Broncos goalie, to tie the game at 1-1 with over six minutes left. International Falls would answer late when Addison Brown converted on a breakaway and, with a well-placed shot, put the Broncos up 2-1 after a period of play. “The first period was not the way the Pirates want to play hockey,” said Emily Meyer, Crookston’s head coach, “we gave up those two goals which was not something we wanted. We talked in the locker room that we had to pick it up and know that every time we take the ice, we don’t want to take things for granted.”

Crookston went back to their three lines and four defensemen in the second period, and they scored four times, three of which were their first goal of the season. “As coaches we said we had to go back to our regular lineups because we weren’t able to get into a rhythm and we had people playing with people they hadn’t before and it was more of that mental game of something gets into their head and they come out and that’s all they are thinking about,” said Meyer. The second period scoring started with Morgan Nelson scoring her first goal of the season as she and her teammates jammed in front of Pelland, and the senior hammered it home just over a minute into the period. Crookston then scored three goals, three minutes apart in the last three minutes. Parker Strand, a junior from Mayville, N.D., scored her first, and a minute later, Ashlyn Bailey scored her first on a bullet from the blue line that beat Pelland. Cassie Solheim ended the scoring in the last minute from about 16 feet out to make it 5-2 Crookston after two periods. The Pirates outshot International Falls 21-1 in the period. “Huge kudos to their goalie,” said Meyer, “she sees a lot of shots and she is down on one knee taking rest in the period. We dominated the period in their end and she seen a lot of shots and really did a good job of finding the shots and making some great saves.”

Crookston continued the intense pressure on the Broncos and wouldn’t let them out of their zone except for numerous icings. Pirate eighth grader Jocelyn Field scored in front on a pass from Brekken Tull just two minutes into the period. After coincidental early in the period, the referee’s started blowing the whistle a little more calling five more penalties, including a five minute major on the Broncos, but the Pirates weren’t able to score any power play goals, but Parker Strand added her second goal of the game on a terrific pass from behind and to the side of the Broncos goal and all Strand had to do was tip it in and she die to make it 7-2 win for Crookston’s third win in a row and improve their record to 5-2-1 on the year. “It was great to see it wasn’t just one person scoring,” Meyer said of six different players scoring goals, “collectively as a group making sure that we are working together. When we work together that is when success is going to happen. We put traffic in front and getting some of the greasy goals, which was good to see.” The Pirates will have three games next week, on Tuesday night at home with a very good Bemidji team. “We go home to play a good Bemidji team, which we want to win because it’s a conference game, a team we like to see,” said Meyer, “they are a team we like to play and playing them in our house and it will be a good matchup.” Crookston will be on the road the rest of the week, Thursday at Detroit Lakes for a Section game and then a 4:30 PM varsity only game at Chisago Lakes on Friday!
International Falls is now 0-6 on the year and will be at Eveleth on Tuesday to play Rock Ridge.

Scoring	1st	2nd	3rd	Final
Crookston	1	4	2	7
International Falls	2	0	0	2

 

1st Period
4:25 – IFalls – Ava Werner (Tirzah Carradice, Brenna Crosby)
10:18 – Crookston – Kaylie Clauson (3) (Cassie Solheim)
15:27 – IFalls – Addison Brown (Tenley Thompson, Ava Werner)

2nd Period
1:10 – Crookston – Morgan Nelson (1) (Addie Fee)
13:26 – Crookston – Parker Strand (1) (Kaylie Clauson)
14:17 – Crookston – Ashlyn Bailey (1) (Taylor Field)
16:19 – Crookston – Cassie Solheim (2) (Adley Vigness)

3rd Period
1:56 – Crookston – Jocelyn Field (1) (Brekken Tull, Brynley Coleman)
11:05 – Crookston – Parker Strand (2) (Cassie Solheim)