The Dickinson Midgets boys’ hockey team finished up their trip to West Fargo Wednesday evening, taking on West Fargo Sheyenne at the West Fargo Sports Arena.
The game was moved indoors as the weather was slightly worse than Tuesday night, with a temperature of -6 with winds making it feel much colder.
It was a more comfortable viewing for all in attendance, but only one side liked what they saw on the ice as the Mustangs took it to the Midgets, winning 6-2, powered by four goals in the second period.
From the opening face-off it was clear this game was more physical than the day prior. Body blows and checks were being delivered all over the ice as both teams tried to establish their will.
That aggressiveness proved to hurt Dickinson (2-7) in the second period, when they were whistled for a major penalty when junior defenseman Dawson Frank delivered a check from behind. It put the Midgets in a tough position, stuck in their defensive zone for a majority of the five minute power play.
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“It’s an avoidable play,” Dickinson head coach Dallas Kuntz said. “Anytime you see numbers you can’t hit kids from behind. The fact that it was 1-1, we were playing well and on the power play, that took all of the wind out of us.”
Sheyenne (5-5) took advantage of the extra man on ice, scoring two goals to take a 3-1 lead. The first came from junior defenseman Zach Moser, who’s wrist shot bounced off the top pipe and into the net.
The next came as the power play winded down. With just under ten seconds remaining, senior forward Carson Teckenberg was able to slide the puck past Dickinson goaltender Jayce Concha, who was caught on the other side of his net. The momentum clearly favored the Mustangs.
Dickinson spent most of that period, and the game overall, defending their end of the ice. Sheyenne added two more goals for a 5-1 lead through two periods.
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“We have to clear the puck out of our zone,” Kuntz said. “There’s certain spells in games where we get caught chasing. We tell the guys we have to man up. If we have to go high off the glass, that puck needs to leave the zone. We proved again tonight, if we’re going to make soft plays out of the zone and our forwards are going to pass it to their defenseman, pucks are coming towards our net.”
They held their own in the first period, responding after being down 1-0. Sophomore defenseman Kaeden Krieg found fellow sophomore forward Kylar Blotske streaking down the ice on his own. Blotske controlled the pass and evaded a defender for his first goal of the season.
Dickinson had two power plays in the third period for a chance to mount one last comeback, but came up empty both times. Their second goal came in the third period with both teams at full strength as junior forward Jasper Sauvageau slotted home a rebound at the net.
They were once again outshot heavily by their opponent, this time 36-16. Combined from their two games in the West Fargo Winter Classic, the Midgets were outshot 80-29.
“Our best asset is our speed and forecheck,” Kuntz said. “We have to be strong on the puck and can’t turn pucks over. We turned a lot of pucks over yesterday and today, more than we would have liked. When you turn pucks over against good teams like West Fargo and Sheyenne they’re going to make you pay.”
Dickinson will return to WDA play on Tuesday, Jan. 4 for a date with Bismarck High on the road.
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SCORING
DHS - 1 0 1, 2
WFS - 1 4 1, 6
First Period
WFS - 4:34 Cooper Clouse (13), assisted by Zach Moser (12) and Mason Christensen (2), 1-0
DHS - 9:25, Kylar Blotske (1), assisted by Kaeden Krieg (5), 1-1
Second Period
WFS - 3:56, Moser (5), assisted by Clouse (4), 2-1
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WFS - 6:04, Carson Teckenberg (4), assisted by Moser (13) and Clouse (5), 3-1
WFS - 8:50, Kailen Mattern (3), assisted by Chase Hapka (5) and Charlie Leshovsky (2), 4-1
WFS - 16:34, Clouse (14), assisted by Moser (14) and Ben Clouse (1), 5-1
Third Period
DHS - 9:17, Jasper Sauvageau (1), assisted by Taylor Giese (2), 5-2
WFS - 12:58, Trey Stocker (1), unassisted
