Pee Wee A Oilers season comes to an end
Jarrett Wold
Guest Columnist
The Pee Wee A Oilers ended their season last weekend at the State Tournament in Minot.
The Oilers started the tournament against the No. 1 team, Fargo Angels. The Angels scored the first 2 goals, 1 late in the first and 1 early in the second. The Oilers answered the second goal quickly with some great passing. Chasen Samuelson worked the puck behind the net and up the wall to Kolby Wold, who gave it back to Chasen, Chasen escaped the defender and put it on the stick of Kale Davis. Kale put a hard shot on goal and Colton Fitzgerald was there to tip it in. The Angels scored next, but the Oilers answered right back on the PK. Chasen picked off a pass between the defenders, beat them both, getting himself open for a forehand missile passed the goalie’s glove to get the Oilers within 1.
The Oilers came out hot dominating the third period. They outshot the Angels, getting good looks from the slot and tipping shots but the Angel goalie stood on his head to keep the Oilers out of the net. The Oilers played their hearts out, but ran out of gas and time. The Angels added a few, 6-2 final. Cole Shettler stopped 32 in the loss.
The Oilers had to play a second game Friday vs. Devils Lake, a team that the Oilers have beaten twice by just 1 goal. The Oilers were on fire from the start. Logan Russbacher set Easton Ralph up for the first goal, getting him the puck in the neutral zone. Easton scored low stick side. Karson Kendrick scored next on a rocket from the point. DL scored next but the Oilers answered right back. Jaxon Junker led the rush and ripped a shot passed the goalie’s blocker to make it 3-1.
Kolby Wold caused a turnover in the offensive zone and Chasen was there to pick it up, wheel to the middle and beat the goalie glove side for the next goal. Junker scored again 9 seconds later, Easton passed it to Brocktyn Devlin, Brock tipped it to Jaxon who beat the goalie again stick side. Kolby scored next on the PK, picking off a pass, beating the defense and the goalie with a deke. Colton scored next, knocking in a rebound from a shot by Davis from the point. Devlin scored next on a tip-in from Logan and Junker. Kendrick got his second of the game off the draw won by Kolby. The final goal of the game came with one second left in the game, Devlin buried a breakaway low stick side. Shettler made 21 saves.
The win put the Oilers in a position to win their next two games and reach the championship. The Bismarck Capitals had beaten the Oilers twice in a row. Colton put the Oilers on the board less than two minutes into the game. He knocked home a rebound after Kolby won the draw to Logan for the shot. The Caps answered, 1-1 after 1. Fitz had the hot stick! He hustled to the slot and got hit with a pass from Devlin and buried the shot low stick side. Bismarck answered with 2, leaving the Oilers with a one goal deficit going into the third.
On the PP, Kendrick broke the puck out up the wall to Junker, Junker picked it up and found Fitz right down broad way for the breakaway, game tying, hat-trick goal. Less than a minute later, Fitz is on the forecheck, creates a turnover that leads to his own shot, it didn’t go in, but Chasen was right there to knock in the rebound. That would be the winning goal, 4-3 Oilers, Shettler had 26 saves.
Another win on Sunday vs West Fargo would get the Oilers to the championship game. The Oilers came out firing in the first, scoring the only two goals of the period. First was off another hot stick, Devlin’s. On the PP, Junker won the draw to Logan, he put the shot on net and Devlin was there for the screen, tipped it first and then hammered home the rebound. The PP was good for the Oilers in the first. The next goal was almost identical to the first. Kolby won the draw to Logan and he fired it just like before. This time the screen was set by Chasen and the goalie never saw it as it went into the net. West Fargo controlled the second, scoring the only three goals. The Oilers came out firing. Chasen and Kolby’s 2-2 was broken up by the defenders, so Kolby kicked the pass back to Logan who scored again right through the screen to tie the game.
The Oiler continued to battle but West Fargo was too strong, scoring 2 PP goals down the stretch to win the game. Shettler made 31 saves in the loss.
The Oilers finished the season 9-25-1. The team received a lot of compliments down the stretch about how much they have improved this year. 6 of the 10 players move up to Bantams next year. Four of them will return to Pee Wee.
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