GRAND FORKS, ND (NewsDakota.com) Blue Jay goaltender Andrew Walz may be the hardest working man at the North Dakota State Hockey Tournament.
After stopping 38 shots against Red River Thursday aftenroon, the senior backstopper stopped another 45 from the Minot Magicians, pushing the Jays to the consolation title game in a 4-2 win Friday.
Jamestown managed just 18 shots of their own, but they were efficient with their scoring chances, scoring four times on six quality chances, as Minot would score twice in 10 quality chances.
Brooks Roaldson and Max Mehus provided the offensive punch. Roaldson found Mehus on a pass from the right wall to the inner edge of the right circle for a one-time just 24 seconds into the game.
Ninety-three seconds later, Mehus would hit Roaldson with a crosser tape-to-tape on Roaldson’s forehand, and Roaldson had time to spare. Roaldson sniped the top right corner, and the Jays led 2-0 after 1:57.
Roaldson would then set up linemate Ethan Romsdahl for a back-hand roof-shot just 19 seconds in the second. Gavin Gerhardt followed by finishing off an Ashton Stockert wrister with a jab of the stick. Jamestown led 4-0 after 4:10 of the second.
Mackley Morelli would tally for Minot in the second, a period that saw the Magicians outshoot the Blue Jays 22-6. Eli Hanson scored in the third to cut the lead to two with 11:22 to play.
Two key defensive plays helped Jamestown finish the game. With Magician Easton Panasuk on a breakaway, Blue Jay defender Reagan Sortland took a hooking call to cut down the scoring chance, denying Minot a point-blank scoring opportunity.
Minot struggled on the power play, losing the offensive zone three times in the first 90 seconds. When Blue Jay Jarrett Zalumskis retrived a loose puck in his own zone, Minot chose not to press, and Zalumskis was able to stand and pick his clearing play. He put a wrister 150 feet on net, forcing a cover by Blays Ostrom that pushed a draw into the Magician zone, effectively killing their power play.
Jamestown improves to 14-10-2 overall, and will play for the consolation championship Saturday afternoon.