Rusty Midgets can't find net, fall to Firebirds 2-0

The Christmas break rust factor was apparent in the Dickinson High boys hockey team on Saturday afternoon.

Despite a third-period shot barrage, the Midgets couldn't sneak one past Devils Lake sophomore goaltender Holden Kurtz.

Kurtz had 27 saves and got help from eighth-grader Cole Thompson, who snuck a goal past Jamison Gray 29 seconds into the third period and got an empty netter with 26 seconds remaining to seal a 2-0 victory in a non-region game at the Dickinson Recreation Center.

"It certainly wasn't our best, that's for darn sure," Dickinson head coach Tom Folske said. "It's been a little bit of a break."

Kurtz and Gray were walls in the first two periods, turning away 22 and 12 shots, respectively.

"Everybody did their job," Gray said after the game, shaking his head. "It wasn't anything I could have asked for on my part, or for the rest of the team to do for me. They got one shot I should have had."

Gray had 26 saves and only faced four shots in the third period.

Dickinson turned up the pressure after Thompson greased one into the two hole to break the tie. The Midgets (5-5) did what it could in the third to try and get the puck past Kurtz.

Alex Turcotte and Kass Dvorak each took three shots on net in the third.

The Midgets sent 15 total shots Kurtz's way that period, but none came any closer than the one senior captain Brendin Steiner had that hit the left post in the first period.

"We've got to finish," Folske said. "Going to the net is one thing, but putting the puck in the net is the object of the game."

The Midgets were down two of their top scorers.

Already playing without freshman forward Mike McChesney, who is out with a broken left forearm, Dickinson didn't have leading scorer Mickey Folske.

The sophomore forward, as well as backup goalie Brett Schweitzer, were part of a contingent of Dickinson athletes who were invited to a baseball camp in Arizona.

"Those two guys, that's half of our points," Tom Folske said in reference to Mickey Folske, his son, and McChesney.

The Firebirds improved to 4-5 on the season with the win, though head coach David Zimmerman said he'd hoped for more after beating Jamestown 4-2 on Friday night.

"We have to improve the defense, as a whole," Zimmerman said. "We have some areas we need to clean up."

Dickinson is off until next Saturday when it hosts Jamestown at 4:15 p.m. in a West Region game.

Tom Folske said he hopes the Midgets have their rust knocked off of them by then.

"Those are points that matter," he said.

DL 0 0 2 - 2

Dickinson 0 0 0 - 0

FIRST PERIOD: No scoring

SECOND PERIOD: No scoring.

THIRD PERIOD: 1, Cole Thompson (Austin Moser) :31. 2, Thompson (en) 16:34.

SAVES: DL, Holden Kurtz 6-6-15-27. D, Jamison Gray 7-15-4-26.