BISMARCK – Thursday meant frustration for Jamestown Blue Jays Boys Hockey. Friday meant elation, if only briefly.
Vaughn Romsdal scored two powerplay goals and Matt Walz had a goal and three assists Friday as Jamestown defeated Williston 6-1 in a loser out game of the WDA Tournament at the VFW Sports Center.
On the ice only just over 16 hours after falling to Minot in the first round Thursday, the Blue Jays and Williston went through 13 mostly uneventful minutes before Walz set up the first Romsdal goal at 13:48 of the first period.
On another powerplay just over a minute later, John Belzer threw the puck at the left side of the Williston goal, where it stuck near the left post and where Williston goalie Bode Ekblad couldn’t reach it. Walz tapped it in at 14:57 for a 2-0 Jamestown lead.
14 seconds later, the Blue Jays caught Williston scrambling in their own end and had a 2-on-0 break. Tyler Jorissen found Belzer, who scored and put the Jays up 3-0.
Just under three seconds remained in the first period when Jorissen scored to give Jamestown three goals in 3:09 and a 4-0 first intermission lead.
Jacen Rustand put in the rebound of a Ty Helstad shot at 7:39 of the second period to put the Coyotes on the board, but at 10:19, Romsdal struck again on the powerplay and Jamestown captured another four-goal lead at 5-1. The Blue Jays were 3-of-8 on the powerplay.
Ekblad was pulled with just under three minutes left and Grant Lunde scored into an empty net for the Blue Jays with just under 51 seconds left for the game’s final goal.
Jamestown goalie Carter Borg was steady, making 20 saves. Jamestown outshot Williston 26-21.
The win advanced Jamestown to the first state qualifying game on Saturday against top seed Century, who was stunned Friday in a semifinal by Dickinson. Coverage of Saturday’s game will begin at around 10:45 AM on The Voice of the Blue Jays, Jamestown 107.1.