VS.
In what was the beginning of a new cross-town rivalry in the city Woodbury, the Royals showed the young Raptors what it takes to be successful. Using their combination of size and speed, Woodbury dismantled the Raptors with a final score of 5-1.
East Ridge started out looking like a team determined to show Woodbury that just because they’re young doesn’t mean they can’t play. In front of a crowd that was half pro-Woodbury and half pro-East Ridge, the Raptors started with a solid forecheck that kept the Royals in their zone for the first couple of minutes. But as soon as Sean Rudin of the Raptors went off for tripping at 1:48 of the first period, the Royals started to take control of this game. Solid neutral zone play allowed Woodbury to keep control throughout the power play and put good pressure on East Ridge goaltender Andrew McDonough. As the period progressed, it became increasingly obvious what the tone of this game was going to be. Woodbury continued to dominate possession throughout the period, but when the Raptors would get a chance, they would often miss their shots from the slot, leading to more turnovers in the offensive zone. Woodbury kept up the pressure on McDonough, but he stood tall, making great save after great save from point blank range. The first period ended scoreless, but not without solid chances for Woodbury, who rang the post once and had a goal disallowed during the period.
As the second period moved on, the Royals continued their dominance over the Raptors with crisp passing and beautiful plays in the offensive zone. Max Gaede had multiple chances to put Woodbury up, but McDonough wasn’t letting anything through. At 8:18 of the second, Woodbury’s hard work finally paid off. A beautiful pass from Christian Turner to Jason Eddy put the Royals up 1-0, but that wasn’t the end of the action. Walker Hyland, one of the best players on the ice for this game, scored his second goal of the season with just over a minute remaining in the period, appearing to deflate the Raptors' spirits. After Gaede made it 3-0 less than 40 seconds later, the game was all but over going into the third period.
Michael Ness took over in goal for Woodbury to start the third, giving Patrick Moore a rest after a solid outing in the net. The change in goalies, though, did not change the pace of the game. Woodbury continued their charge into the East Ridge zone when at 6:39 Hyland made a great move through the offensive zone and fed the puck to Connor Delaney, who fired off a beautiful wrister to put the Royals up 4-0. Goals by Scott Carlson of Woodbury and Sean Rudin of East Ridge wrapped up the game, making it a 5-1 final in favor of the Royals.
As East Ridge gains more experience, this matchup should become increasingly more even. The Raptors are a new program, and this intense matchup was only the second game of their young season. Woodbury showed the potential that they have, using a physical presence to establish their game and highlighting their skill players with solid play through every zone on the ice.
My 3 stars of the game:
1) Walker Hyland (Woodbury): 1G and 1A. Played a spectacular game on both offense and defense.
2) Max Gaede (Woodbury): 1G. Constant pressure in East Ridge zone with solid forecheck.
3) Andrew McDonough (East Ridge): Played great, keeping East Ridge in the game for a period and a half.
East Ridge started out looking like a team determined to show Woodbury that just because they’re young doesn’t mean they can’t play. In front of a crowd that was half pro-Woodbury and half pro-East Ridge, the Raptors started with a solid forecheck that kept the Royals in their zone for the first couple of minutes. But as soon as Sean Rudin of the Raptors went off for tripping at 1:48 of the first period, the Royals started to take control of this game. Solid neutral zone play allowed Woodbury to keep control throughout the power play and put good pressure on East Ridge goaltender Andrew McDonough. As the period progressed, it became increasingly obvious what the tone of this game was going to be. Woodbury continued to dominate possession throughout the period, but when the Raptors would get a chance, they would often miss their shots from the slot, leading to more turnovers in the offensive zone. Woodbury kept up the pressure on McDonough, but he stood tall, making great save after great save from point blank range. The first period ended scoreless, but not without solid chances for Woodbury, who rang the post once and had a goal disallowed during the period.
As the second period moved on, the Royals continued their dominance over the Raptors with crisp passing and beautiful plays in the offensive zone. Max Gaede had multiple chances to put Woodbury up, but McDonough wasn’t letting anything through. At 8:18 of the second, Woodbury’s hard work finally paid off. A beautiful pass from Christian Turner to Jason Eddy put the Royals up 1-0, but that wasn’t the end of the action. Walker Hyland, one of the best players on the ice for this game, scored his second goal of the season with just over a minute remaining in the period, appearing to deflate the Raptors' spirits. After Gaede made it 3-0 less than 40 seconds later, the game was all but over going into the third period.
Michael Ness took over in goal for Woodbury to start the third, giving Patrick Moore a rest after a solid outing in the net. The change in goalies, though, did not change the pace of the game. Woodbury continued their charge into the East Ridge zone when at 6:39 Hyland made a great move through the offensive zone and fed the puck to Connor Delaney, who fired off a beautiful wrister to put the Royals up 4-0. Goals by Scott Carlson of Woodbury and Sean Rudin of East Ridge wrapped up the game, making it a 5-1 final in favor of the Royals.
As East Ridge gains more experience, this matchup should become increasingly more even. The Raptors are a new program, and this intense matchup was only the second game of their young season. Woodbury showed the potential that they have, using a physical presence to establish their game and highlighting their skill players with solid play through every zone on the ice.
My 3 stars of the game:
1) Walker Hyland (Woodbury): 1G and 1A. Played a spectacular game on both offense and defense.
2) Max Gaede (Woodbury): 1G. Constant pressure in East Ridge zone with solid forecheck.
3) Andrew McDonough (East Ridge): Played great, keeping East Ridge in the game for a period and a half.
