March 2, 2011

Junior Gold upends Rangers

Watford City’s Junior Gold hockey team scored a big win on Friday dropping the Richland Rangers, 9-3. With the win, the Oilers claimed the No. 2 seed in the State Tournament starting Friday in Watford City.
The Oilers opened the scoring with 8:31 remaining in the first period when Jayden Grotte slipped home a shot on an Oiler power play. Chris Larsen and Brandon Taylor were credited with assists. Richland scored a power play of their own 1:34 later, beating Oiler netminder, Kalden Heggen. As the teams completed period 1, the game was knotted at 1-1.
Bo Yesel put the Oilers up 2-1 with 12:35 remaining in the second when he blasted a slapshot past the Rangers’ goalie. Yesel set up the goal with fancy stick handling before the big blast. Tanner Wold fed Yesel for the goal. With 2:29 left in the period, Brandon Taylor teamed up with Douglas Nordby to put the Oilers up, 3-1, at the end of the period.
Douglas Nordby kept the Oilers going by scoring just 14 seconds into the third period. Taylor picked up the assist on Nordby’s goal. Richland would answer back at 14:22 and again at 11:18 to cut the Oilers’ lead to 4-3.
With 9:33 remaining, Larsen scored a power play goal with Douglas Rolfson and Yesel assisting. Late in the contest, the Oilers added insurance goals. The first was off Bo Yesel’s stick with the assist to Rolfson at 4:48. Taylor scored his second goal of the game 55 seconds later with Larsen picking up an assist. Jayden Grotte also picked up his second goal of the contest 50 seconds later for an 8-3 Oiler lead. Taylor added the assist on Grotte’s goal. Captain Douglas Rolfson closed out the scoring with 28 seconds remaining unassisted for a 9-3 win.
The Oilers lost the services of sophomore defenseman Alex Hansen, who broke his wrist late in the contest after being checked into the boards. Kalden Heggen turned back 25 Ranger shots.
The Oilers take on these same Richland Rangers in Game 3 of the State Tournament on Friday at 7 p.m.

WATFORD CITY WEATHER