Granite City Lumberjacks 8 - Twin Cities Northern Lights 3
After falling 9-4 to the Ice Hawks the previous weekend, the Lumberjacks looked to use Saturday’s game as the opportunity to build a new stepping stone and identity in the MJHL. Saturday’s home game versus the Twin Cities Northern Lights would be the start to a long stretch of home games. The only blurb in the four game home stand would come the following day as the Lumberjacks took to the road to face the Flying Aces.
The Northern Lights came to St. Cloud hoping to continue their recent success versus the Granite City Lumberjacks; however, Saturday’s game proved this was 2008 and it is New Year. The first half minute of the game belonged to the Lights with them jumping out and scoring the first goal. The goal would come just 18 seconds into the game and put the away team up by a one nothing score. A test of character enabled the Lumberjacks to use this quick goal as momentum. At the 2:48 mark, #17 Nick Ellis, would fire home a wrist shot to knot the score at 1. #15 Kevin Bergquist would get credit for the assist on the goal. Lumberjacks leading scorer, #18 Tyler Wahl, would pound home a one-timer in the high slot at 8:22 to make the score 2-1. #16 Paul Hawthorne would pick up the lone assist on the power play goal. Two more skill-oriented goals by #09 Sean Kenny and #22 Brady Borer would make the score 4-1 heading into intermission with #07 Tyler Sura and #15 Bergquist picking up assists.
The Lumberjacks did not put on the brakes or settle in on their comfortable 4-1 score in the second period in turn allowing, #07 Sura, to score his own goal at 11:49. #08 Matt Krueger would pick up the helper on Sura’s goal. #09 Kenny would score just a minute later to make the score 6-1 on his second goal of the game. Defensemen, #02 Radko Langfelder and #03 Brad Phenow would rack up the assists on the Lumberjacks sixth goal of the game. The scoring would be complete for the period; however, hometown fans were sharing in the excitement as the Lumberjacks skated off for the second period intermission with a commanding 6-1 lead.
#24 Fred Bidinger entered the scoring column early in the third period with an unassisted power play goal. The goal would come at the 1:07 mark and raise the score to 7-1. #19 Brandon Anderson of the Northern Lights, would make the score 7-2 with his lone goal at 7:03. The score would not stand long before #09 Kenny completed his hat trick night with a tip-in goal at 7:28. #09 Kenny would get credited for the re-direction off a point shot from #24 Bidinger. In addition to #24 Bidinger’s assist, #08 Krueger would pick up his second assist of the night on the final goal for the Lumberjacks. The Northern Lights would go on to steal one more goal at 11:46. This final goal completed the scoring for the night and finalized the scoreboard 8-3, thus giving fans satisfaction in a game dominated by their beloved Lumberjacks.
The two teams will conclude their season series this Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. The game will be free for all who choose to admit themselves to the December make-up game.
Granite City Lumberjacks 6 - Minnesota Flying Aces 4
One night after complete command of the puck, the Lumberjacks took off to Little Falls to play the Minnesota Flying Aces. Despite losing in Rochester last weekend, the Lumberjacks had won three out of four games and looked to use the Flying Aces match-up as another building block towards complete team chemistry.
A scoreless first period found both goaltenders, #01 Randy Johnson (MFA) and #30 Justin Lochner (GCL), posting shut-outs and stopping the combined 14 shots shot their way. This complete awareness of the goal crease would last for only a period as both teams took to the ice in the second period armed with different arsenal and new game plan… shoot the puck.
A quick start to the second period began at the 6:04 mark with the Flying Aces knotting the first goal. 38 seconds later, #18 Tyler Wahl, would score a power play goal on assists from #24 Fred Bidinger and #06 Carl Lindblad. At 9:13, #14 Kent Kirby, would score his fourth goal as a Lumberjack and make the score 2-1 Jacks. #18 Wahl and #03 Brad Phenow would add assists to their season point totals after dishing out an assist each on Kirby’s goal. #21 Tony Schultz would have an answer for the Lumberjacks at the 14:44 mark, thus giving fans a 2-2 score until #07 Tyler Sura scored at 18:40. The single assist would be credited to new-comer, #12 Aaron Filstrup. The Lumberjacks would carry the 3-2 lead into the second intermission after successfully finding the net on three of the fifteen second period shots. The teams would combine to place a total of 31 shots on net compared to the 14 in the opening period.
Fans had just barely got settled into their seats before #17 Nick Ellis penciled himself into the score sheet with a Lumberjacks goal. The goal would come at the 0:16 mark and make the score 4-2 Jacks. Flying Aces star, #21 Schultz, would respond with his second goal of the game just a couple minutes later on an assist from #17 Tim Benner. The Flying Aces would only hang on down by one goal for a minute before #22 Borer scored the game winner. The unassisted goal would come at the 3:33 mark and give the Lumberjacks a 5-3 lead early in the final period. The Aces would counter with a goal a half minute later, but could not complete the comeback. #22 Borer, would add another goal in the latter part of the game to make the final 6-4. #18 Wahl and #03 Phenow would both pick up their second assists of the night on Borer’s second goal.
The Minnesota Flying Aces would outshoot the Lumberjacks 37-27 in the game, but could not slip anymore than four goals by #30 Lochner.
The Lumberjacks return to the ice to play host to the Northern Lights this Tuesday, January 15th at 1:00 p.m.