SEAVER’S LATE GOAL LIFTS CROOKSTON GIRLS HOCKEY TO WIN OVER WEST FARGO

Although the Crookston Pirate Girls Hockey team dominated most of the game, it took a Jenna Seaver wrist shot from the point with 2:30 left in the game to break a 2-2 deadlock and give the Pirates an exciting 3-2 win over the West Fargo United in a game played at the Crookston Sports Center.

First Period
Crookston showed a bit of what was to come in the game as they dominated territorially and held West Fargo without a shot on goal until the 8:19 mark of the first period. It was right after that first shot by West Fargo that Crookston would get on the board first when Seaver sent a shot from the far point, and Reese Swanson managed in traffic to get her stick on the shot and tipped it past the West Fargo goalie, senior Madelyn Buchert and the Pirates led 1-0. “It was nice to get a goal like that, getting people in front and getting a tip,” said Crookston head coach Tim Moe, “Reese wants to play defense, but until we get some of our girl’s to start shooting the puck, she’ll stay at forward. She’s got speed and shoots the puck, which we encourage the girls to do. Reese has two goals in the two games we’ve moved her to forward.”
West Fargo would score twice in the last six minutes of the first period, the first when Mia Gervais hit Maren Bents with a pass entering the Crookston zone, and Bents shot from the left circle found its way to the short side past Crookston goalie Kailee Magsam. Then West Fargo on a similar type of play with Gervais able to get Trissa Olafson just entering the Crookston end, and Olafson let a wrist shot go that Magsam got her glove on, but it trickled off and into the net to give West Fargo their first lead at 2-1. “I know Kailee would like to have one or even both of those back,” said Coach Moe, “but we confident with our play, and if we keep this up, we’ll be fine.”

Second Period
Not for lack of chances, but the Pirates could not get anything past the West Fargo goalie, Buchert. She had 14 saves, but many of those shots were sailed up high where the goalie’s vision was not impeded, and she had a very good glove, which the Pirates kept testing! “Kailee played really well in the second period,” said Moe, “she faced some tough shots as West Fargo had their best period, and she had eight saves and didn’t allow a goal, which was big as West Fargo had some two on ones.” Crookston was able to crack the West Fargo goalie with just under two minutes left in the period, and it was a perfect two on one with a trailer. Brekken Tull was coming in with Catherine Tiedemann on the two one, and Tiedemann let go a quick shot that Buchert got a pad on but left a juicy rebound that the Pirates leading scorer was in the right spot, and Nora Peterson put it past the sprawled goalie and tied the game at 2-2. “That was a great play,” said Moe, “with Brekken bringing it in and getting a nice pass to Catherine, and then there wouldn’t be anybody that I’d want to be in front for the rebound than Nora. It was good to see Catherine get on the scoreboard. We were talking before that game and saying we need Catherine involved, and it was good to see it on the tying goal.”

Third Period
Before the Seaver heroics, Crookston again came out and dominated West Fargo, but it was getting late, and it was still a tie game. “We gave up just one shot in the third period,” said Moe, “we came out, and we put our will on that and dominated in one of the best periods we’ve played in a number of years.
Shift after shift, Crookston had scoring chances, and although they had 18 shots on goal, that doesn’t include the many that went just wide or didn’t connect. “We always talk about the best place to play defense is in the offensive zone,” said Moe, “we are finally getting to that point where we have the talent to do those things. I can’t say enough about our kids, and they forecheck hard battle for pucks and all part of the learning process.” When the clock came into play late in the game with a 2-2 score and people looking at a possible overtime, The Pirates were able to erase that thought when Peterson dropped the puck back to the far point to Seaver, and her shot hit a or some West Fargo players and went down and bounced in to give Crookston a 3-2 lead with 2:30 to go in the game. “It was good to see Jenna get that goal,” said Moe, “she’s been working hard in practice and taking advantage of her chances, including that goal. She had an assist on the first goal almost identical without the tip. We had a pretty good look at the shot, and I think their goalie had a little trouble finding the puck after it hit the ice.” Crookston was able to skate the rest of the game off without giving up the equalizer and keeping in the theme of the third period, not giving West Fargo any opportunities even when United pulled their goalie with 40 seconds left.
“I’m really pressed to remember a better period we’ve played in a number of years,” said Moe, “especially defensively. It was a tremendous effort throughout the lineup, and I’m really proud of these girls.”

Crookston improves to 2-4 on the season and will host two Section 8A opponents next week with East Grand Forks back in Crookston on Tuesday (East Grand Forks beat Crookston 2-0 earlier in Crookston) and Detroit Lakes on Friday. West Fargo United is 3-8 on the year and will be home tomorrow night hosting Bismarck High.