Eagles show no mercy

By JEN SEAVEY

Journal Sports Editor

NEW ULM -- Two New Ulm hockey players scored their first varsity goals, and Landon Rewitzer scored on his first game back from a broken wrist as the Eagles dominated Fairmont 8-2 in their first South Central Conference game.

The Eagles were able to use four lines and six defensemen in the game. No two New Ulm goals came from the same person, and only Eric Portner had two assists.

"Overall, we played really good," Portner said. "We've been throwing lines together lately, and today it just clicked.

"It was also our first game in the South Central Conference, so we knew we had to win," he said.

J.J. Germscheid passed from the point to Ryan Turbes in front of the goal, and it was deflected to Eric Portner, who put it in behind the goalie on the right.

With :28 left in the first period, Turbes shot from the blue line on the left past several players to score the second goal for the Eagles. Dave Hitchcock had the assist.

"We just came into the locker room and said it's 2-0 -- we gotta play better," Portner said. "Just because we're winning, doesn't mean we've gotta quit."

The Cardinal's first goal came when Kristoffer Olson took a pass from behind the goal and put it in right up the middle to make it 2-1 New Ulm. Two minutes earlier, he had given the Eagles a scare when he took a shot that glanced off the crossbar and shot over the goal.

The Eagles then scored two rapid-fire goals. First, Andy Metzen picked up a New Ulm rebound and slipped it past the goalie, who was spread out on the ice. Then, at 11:56, Andy Kitzberger scored from Portner in a 2-on-1 situation, giving the Eagles a 4-1 lead.

To end the period, Tom Fischer shot from the blue line, scoring the Eagles' fifth goal. Justin Traulich had the assist.

"It's kind of tough -- we knew we were better than they are, but you never know what's going to happen," Eagle coach Tom Macho said. "It's good to have the lead -- it makes tired legs feel better."

In the third period, New Ulm scored once again from near the blue line, this time from Rewitzer to take a 6-1 lead.

Fairmont looked to fight back with a goal at 10:07 from Erich Kliewer, but the Eagles went up 7-2 as Fischer scored once again. Then Traulich put one in not two minutes later at 12:25 to end scoring.

"I was telling the Fairmont coach that we still haven't been used to playing on the big ice," Macho said. "We used the whole rink tonight -- we were able to keep the pressure on tonight."

The Eagles (4-5-2) travel to St. Peter to play LeSueur-Henderson/St. Peter Tuesday.

The New Ulm JV team won 11-0. Zach Schugel had a hat trick, and Jimmy Fromm scored twice. The Eagles had 71 shots on goal.