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February 4, 2000
Willmar overcomes EaglesBy PAUL DUNLAP Journal Sports Editor NEW ULM -- The Willmar boys hockey team overcame a two-goal deficit Thursday night, scoring four unanswered goals in a 4-2 nonconference win over New Ulm at Vogel Arena. "We let them back in the game," Eagle coach Tom Macho said. "This is the second time this year that we've had a 2-0 lead in the first period and squandered it, but it wasn't for lack of trying. We did some good things, made some good plays, but (Willmar) took advantage of every one of our mistakes. This is a team that beat (Class A No. 1) Roseau, so we can't feel too bad about the effort we gave." Those mistakes weren't evident in the opening 15 minutes as the Eagles built the two-goal edge. At the 3:09 mark Ryan Neuman skated in and shot on Cardinal goalie Jeremy Pederson, and when the rebound sat there Travis Thorson swooped in and put the puck to the back of the net. Assists went to Nate Richter and Neuman, and New Ulm held the 1-0 edge. A pair of penalties to Willmar in the last minute of the frame allowed the Eagles a 5-on-3 man advantage, and Jacob Holm didn't waste any time as his slap shot somehow got through the pads of Pederson and trickled into the net. Brian Meier got credit for an assist, and New Ulm held the 2-0 lead at the break. It would also be the last goal Pederson would allow. "The first period we played well, and I think the third period we played well," Macho said. "The second period, though, was a different story." The Cardinals would start their comeback at the 8:17 mark of the second. After New Ulm goalie Gary Wurtzberger made a number of nice saves, Willmar's Darrin Strand slid the puck to Justin Bergman for a goal that seemed the turn the tide even more. Strand would knot the game at 2 as he scored on a 4-on-4 situation with 1:30 left in the second, assisted by Dustin Sharstrom. Suddenly, New Ulm was reeling. "We just went away from the body in that second period," Macho commented. "Our first man in went for the puck, which kept their men moving, and we didn't take their space away from them. There were two big mistakes we made on coverage, and (Willmar) scored on both." Both teams would have their chances in the final period, but the Cardinals were the only one to cash in. Willmar took the lead for good at 9:22 on a goal from Justin Nelson, and after New Ulm seemingly tied it up only to be denied by Pederson, Matt Breen ended the scoring in the final minute. "He really came to task in those second and third periods," Macho said of the Cardinal netminder. "There was one time when the crowd, the band, everyone thought we tied it up at 3-3, but he made that save. He had it all the way ... we could see from the bench that he made a nice play on it. He played well for them, as Gary (Wurtzberger) did for us." Wurtzberger finished the night stopping 35 of 39 shots. Pederson ended with 21 saves. With the loss, the Eagles drop to 15-4 on the season. They will host Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato Monday for the Central Minnesota Conference championship. New Ulm's junior varsity battled the Cardinals to a 3-3 tie. Andy Roeder, Ryan Gieseke, and Mike Neveln scored the goals, with Matt Schuetzle, Nate Burkhart, and Josh Jacobs recording assists. Goalies Brandon Sievert and Jeremy Sutherland combined for 42 saves. WILLMAR 0 2 2--4 NEW ULM 2 0 0--2 FIRST PERIOD NU-Travis Thorson (Nate Richter, Ryan Neuman) 3:09; NU-Jacob Holm (Brian Meier) 14:45 PP. SECOND PERIOD W-Justin Bergman (Darrin Strand) 8:17; W-Strand (Dustin Sharstrom, Matt Breen) 13:30. THIRD PERIOD W-Justin Nelson (Lee Engstrom, Ben Villnow) 9:22; W-Breen (Strand, Bergman) 14:23 PP. Penalties: New Ulm 6-for-12, Willmar 7-for-14. Saves: Willmar (Jeremy Pederson) 8-5-8 -- 21, New Ulm (Gary Wurtzberger) 14-14-7 -- 35.
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