sports

SKY SOLIG’S FOUR GOALS LEAD WARROAD TO WIN OVER CROOKSTON BOYS HOCKEY

February 19, 2021

Sky Solig scored four goals to lead the #6-ranked Warroad Warriors past the Crookston Pirates Boys Hockey team by a score of 10-1 in a Section 8A game played at Gardens Arena in Warroad.

1st Period
The Warroad Warriors came out clicking on all cylinders on senior night in Warroad leading to a big opening period. The Warriors got started Erick Comstock fired a waist-high wrist shot toward the net that Jayson Shaugabay redirected down into the net for a 1-0 lead with 13:44 left. It would take the Warriors more than seven minutes to score again, but their second goal of the period would open the flood gates. Off a faceoff with Anthony Foster carried the puck below the blue line and centered it out for Jason Shaugabay who flipped it into the goal for his second goal of the period and a 2-0 lead with 6:13 to play. “I thought the first eight to nine minutes were good,” said Pirates Coach Josh Hardy. “It was up and down. We were playing well defensively and they got the first goal on a weird bounce into the net. Then, we got in front of the snowball instead of behind it, and it felt like everything they touched went in the net.” It took just 22 seconds for the Warriors to make it 3-0 when Shaugabay threw the puck toward the front of the net and Sai’zha Norwegian taped it five-hole. Sky Solig would end the period with a bang scoring two goals 11 seconds apart. On the first goal, with 1:16 to go in the period, Luke Johnson center a puck out front and Solig redirected it past the stick of Noah Dragseth. Then, Solig would score off the ensuing faceoff as Luke Erickson carried the puck into the left corner and threw it out in front of the net where Solig tapped it five-hole for a 5-0 lead. The Warriors outshot the Pirates 22-5 in the first period and 14-1 over the final seven minutes. “It was frustrating,” said Hardy. “You know, 3-0 you feel you can come back from it, then one minute left, boom-boom, now it’s 5-0. It’s hard to come back from. The message in the locker room was it doesn’t matter. Let’s win a period and battle back here. I thought at times in the second we were better and our attitude in the locker room was really good.”

2nd Period
The Warriors continued their strong play scoring just 1:55 into the second period when Todd Powassin sent a pass to the left post from the top of the right circle where Nelson Cole chipped it into the net for a 6-0 lead. It would take the Warriors 1:22 to make it 7-0 when Sai’zha Norwegian scored an unassisted goal with 13:43 left in the period. The Warriors continued to dominate control of the puck and the Pirates had just one shot on goal in the period when Noah Kiel found Jack Doda streaking up the center of the ice with 3:45 to play. Doda worked is way down the left side of the slot and his first shot stopped by Warriors goaltender Jack Orchard but as he backed of the goal line he snapped the rebound toward the front of the net finding Noah Kiel’s stick to make it 7-1. “It was kind of a funky sequence,” said Hardy. “Jack took a shot and it kind of fluttered and didn’t go in, then he was able to snap the rebound back in front of the net and it went off Kiel’s stick and in. Nice to get a goal and not get shut out in the second period.” The Warriors would go right back on the offensive after the Pirates goal finding the back of the net with just 55 seconds to go in the period when Matt Hard backhanded a shot on goal the Dragseth got a piece of, but the puck found its way through him fluttering and dancing across the goal line to make it 8-1. The Warriors outshot the Pirates 25-4 in the second period.

3rd Period
The Warriors played a puck possession game throughout the third period chipping outshooting the Pirates 13-3. Solig would record a hat trick after Todd Powassin took a shot from the blue line and Solig lifted the rebound into net making it 9-1. The Pirates were able to break out of their end of couple of times but couldn’t generate too much offense. “I thought we battled hard in the third period,” said Hardy. “Some guys looked good. I thought Thor Harbott had a big blocked shot. Carter Trudeau looked better in that period. And I thought Drake Lord and Kadin Edwards were physical. It’s great to see that from our young guys but we need that out of our older guys a little bit too.” The Warriors wrapped up the scoring with 2:14 to play when Solig scored his fourth of the night to make it 10-1. The Warriors outshot the Pirates 13-3 in the third period. “It’s a same that only one team from our section gets to go to state because I think between Warroad and East Grand Forks we’ve got two of the top five teams in the state,” said Hardy. “It’s a tough loss but it’s a good barometer for us.”

The Pirates fall to 1-7 on the season and will face another tough test when they host a Section 8A game against #5 East Grand Forks on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in a game that will be livestreamed at KROXAM.COM. Warroad improves to 6-3-2 and will have a week off before traveling to Virginia/Mountain Iron-Buhl next Friday.

Scoring	1st	2nd	3rd	Final
CROOKSTON	0	1	0	1
Warroad	5	3	2	10

1st Period
13:44 -Warroad- Jayson Shaugabay (Erick Comstock)
6:13 -Warroad- Jayson Shaugabay (Anthony Foster, Sai’zha Norwegian)
5:41 -Warroad- Sai’zha Norwegian (Jayson Shaugabay, Anthony Foster)
1:16 -Warroad- Sky Solig (Luke Johnson, Blake Norris)
1:05 -Warroad- Sky Solig (Luke Erickson, Blake Norris)

2nd Period
15:05 -Warroad- Nelson Cole (Todd Powassin, Carson Reed)
13:43 -Warroad- Sai’zha Norwegian (Unassisted)
3:45 -Crox- Noah Kiel (Jack Doda)
00:55 -Warroad- Matt Hard (Nelson Cole, Bo Thompson)

3rd Period
14:10 -Warroad- Sky Solig (Todd Powassin, Luke Johnson)
2:14 -Warroad- Sky Solig (Luke Erickson, Blake Norris)