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January 7, 2000
Eagles stun No. 4 LourdesBy BOB VARMETTE Journal Sports Writer NEW ULM -- In almost everything, Rochester Lourdes and New Ulm were about even. Both teams also wear purple, and to carry the similarities one step further, they're both the Eagles. Both teams are even in one other category. They both now have two losses because New Ulm had something -- and someone -- that Lourdes didn't. Emotion and David Sellner. The senior forward scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner with 7:05 to go in the third period, to lift New Ulm over Class 1A No. 4 Lourdes 3-2 in a nonconference duel of Eagles Thursday night at Vogel Arena. "It was a tough game that we had to win," Sellner said. "It's us and them that's going to be the favorites in the section. We knew we had to show them what we had, that we could give them a run for the money, and we did it." While Sellner was the difference offensively for New Ulm (10-2), the difference defensively was goalie Gary Wurtzberger. Wurtzberger made 32 saves as New Ulm was outshot 34-16 by Lourdes (10-2-1). "It was a very good night for him," New Ulm coach Tom Macho said. "He was very steady. ... He really had his angles well today and our defensemen really helped him out a lot today." While New Ulm was on the short end of shots, they also seemed to be the aggressor. New Ulm got its first lead just 37 seconds into the game when Brandon Rolloff finished off a 2-on-1 following a turnover in neutral ice by slipping the puck past Lourdes goalie Dan Smith. Brian Meier and Al Wurtzberger got the assists for New Ulm. Lourdes answered with 1:04 gone in the second period to tie the game at 1 when Mark Stuart got one past Gary Wurtzberger and just underneath the crossbar to finish a Lourdes' odd-man rush. New Ulm went up 2-1 on Sellner's first goal with 6:24 in the second. Lourdes answered again on a power-play goal early in the third period. Sellner put New Ulm up 3-2 with his second goal midway through the third, but this time Lourdes had no answer. "We got kind of frustrated," Lourdes coach Jay Ness said. "That's happened to us before. We haven't played a lot of close games. The guys aren't real used to playing in these intense games. But this will be good for us." Despite outshooting New Ulm by more than a two-to-one margin, Lourdes not only seemed always coming back, but also on the defensive. "Physically, they kind of took it to us," Ness said. "I really think that they won more of the battles tonight." The turning point may have come in the second period. Sellner tallied on a 5-on-3 New Ulm power play opportunity when Brandon Harrington and Stuart went off 15 seconds apart. One minute and one second into the two-man advantage, Sellner scored off assists from Jacob Holm and B.J. Rewitzer. "It was a whole-line effort," Sellner said. "We had guys digging in the corner, they went out to the point. We had a nice shot and I was sitting right out in front of the net and it was just a nice tip in. It was a perfect play, a nice effort by everyone." Sellner got the game-winner with 7:05 left when he backhanded a shot from the slot past Smith. But Lourdes couldn't bring the game back to a tie, mainly because New Ulm kept bringing the play to them. "We never panicked," Macho said. "We had been outshot pretty badly and we said if we get 10 shots on goal, no matter where they're from, something's going to happen. We were going to start taking the play to them instead of them taking the play to us." New Ulm only got seven shots on goal in the third period, but the numbers in the end added up. Even when Lourdes pulled Smith with 1:08 in the contest, their frustrated six skaters couldn't muster any quality chances. The near-capacity crowd chanted, "over-rated," as the clock wound to zero. But Macho wasn't ready, though, to declare his Eagles better than the other Eagles. Not just yet, anyway -- the teams will meet again in Rochester in the final game of the regular season. The teams may also see each other for a third time in the Section 1A playoffs. "I think it's just that we came out on top," Macho said. "Sometimes emotion in hockey plays a lot and I think we had the emotional edge tonight." And then there was Sellner, too. "The team follows him," Macho said. "David's kind of the catalyst for the club. As little as he is, he can bang a lot of people and he digs it out with the big boys. He did it for us." In the junior varsity game, Lourdes won 5-4. Rochester Lourdes 0 1 1--2 New Ulm 1 1 1--3 First period--1, New Ulm, Brandon Rolloff (Brian Meier, Al Wurtzberger), :37. Penalties--Thorson, NUHS (cross-checking), 6:34; Clark, RLHS (hooking), 8:55; Hoffman, NUHS (hooking), 9:00. Second period--2, Lourdes, Mark Stuart (Charley Schmidt), 1:04. 3, New Ulm, David Sellner (Jacob Holm, B.J. Rewitzer), 8:36 (pp). Penalties--Skinner, RLHS (high sticking), 7:22; Stuart, RLHS (holding), 7:37; Neuman, NUHS (interference), 10:56; Richter, NUHS (holding), 14:05. Third period--4, Lourdes, Alex Miller (Stuart), :28 (pp). 5, New Ulm, Sellner (Meier), 7:55 (pp). Penalties--Wellmann, NUHS (elbowing), 5:32; Stuart, RLHS (hooking), 6:56. Shots on goal--Lourdes 8-13-13--34. New Ulm 6-3-7--16. Goalies--Lourdes, Smith (16-13); New Ulm, G. Wurtzberger (34-32).
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