FARGO — After losing both regular-season matchups to Fargo Davies, Fargo South-Shanley found itself on the winning side of Monday’s East Region boys hockey championship game against the Eagles.
South-Shanley scored on two of four power plays to pick up a 3-1 win over Davies and lock up the East’s No. 1 seed for the North Dakota boys hockey state tournament, which will be held at Scheels Arena.
The Bruins will face fourth-seeded Mandan (9-16-0) at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals. Davies will be the No. 2 seed and will play West No. 3 seed Minot (16-8-0) at 2:30 p.m. The Eagles came up one game short of a sixth consecutive state appearance last year.
“It feels good. We came into the year ranked fourth by opposing coaches, and we beat everybody,” Bruins junior captain Zach Boren said. “But we know the job’s not done. We’re ready for this on Thursday.”
The Bruins (18-5-0) will enter the state tournament on an eight-game win streak. They haven’t dropped a game since a 3-2 overtime loss to Davies on Jan. 25. The Eagles won both regular-season meetings over South-Shanley.
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The Bruins killed all three penalties they took as they snapped Davies’ nine-game win streak. Prior to Monday, the Eagles (21-3-0) hadn’t tasted defeat since a 5-4 setback to Moorhead on Jan. 18.
Boren said special teams have been huge for the Bruins all year.
“It’s been a focal point that we try to focus on in practice,” Boren said. “Special teams can win you games sometimes, and tonight it did.”
Despite Monday’s blizzard conditions, the region championship had a rivalry atmosphere. The region final was pushed back and moved because of weather, but the delay didn’t bother the Bruins, who got two close-range shots off in the first minute. Davies controlled possession through the neutral zone early and disrupted South, but sophomore forward Jake Verwest created his own storm surge late in the first period.
Verwest opened the scoring for South-Shanley on a late first-period power play. The Bruins' power-play unit didn't get off to a flying start, with Davies clearing the puck twice, but South-Shanley finished it with a goal.
Jake Skarperud sent a pass from the point to Zach Skarperud, who rifled off a one-timer from the doorstep of Davies goalie Trent Wiemken’s net. The puck landed in the crease and Verwest deflected it into the back of the net.
“I had my stick between my skates and I kind of just went for it,” Verwest said
Less than 90 seconds later, Verwest and Colten Nestler flew right back down the ice to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead that would stick until the second period. On a 2-on-1 rush, Nestler passed across to Verwest, who buried the puck.
“It really got us going,” Verwest said of the 2-goal lead.
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Nestler stretched South-Shanley’s lead 11:20 into the second period after he walked in front and deked around defenders to put the puck past Wiemken on the power play. Monday’s region championship was the fifth time Wiemken, who has a 1.37 goals-against average, had given up three or more goals all season.
“I think the first half of the game we were kind of sloppy, weren't really executing,” Davies head coach Nate Metcalf said. “Didn’t see a whole lot of tape-to-tape passes. We bobbled the puck a few times and they capitalized on it and went from there.”
Davies had double the shots on net than the Bruins (7) in the second frame. The Eagles dumped 14 second-period shots, but none found the back of the net. They carried that momentum into the third frame.
It took 16 seconds for Davies to score in the third period. Luke Lorenz tipped in a shot from the point to score the lone goal of the game for the Eagles. A Davies player hit the cross bar four minutes later.
“Hockey is a lot of times just lucky bounces,” Metcalf said. “A couple times (the puck) hit some shin pads, hit the crossbar in the second. But it’s hockey, and you gotta capitalize when you can.”
Davies banged home a rebound 34 seconds into a third-period power play, but the goal was waived off.
This year’s East Region championship was the first without Grand Forks Central or Grand Forks Red River playing in it since 2005.
FIRST PERIOD: 1, FSS, Verwest (Z Skarperud, J Skarperud), 14:37 pp. 2, FSS, Verwest (Nestler, Osvak), 15:51.
SECOND PERIOD: 3, FSS, Nestler (J Skarperud), 11:20pp.
THIRD PERIOD: 4, FD, Lorenz (Archbold, Rerick), 0:16.
SAVES: FD, Wiemken 13-6-11—0. FSS, Olsonawski 9-9-0—18, Kirkeby 0-5-10—15.
