Team Northwest won two of three games – including a 13-goal outburst against Wisconsin – to hold on to first place following Week 3 of the Upper Midwest High School Elite League.
Northwest opened Week 3 the same way it opened Week 2, by beating Team Northeast in a Tuesday night game, 4-2 at New Hope Arena. Patrick Steinhauser of Benilde-St. Margaret’s scored twice and added an assist in the win, while Maple Grove goalie Ryan Coyne stopped 37 of 29 shots.
After a Saturday night loss to Team Southeast, Northwest bounced back with a 13-6 win over Wisconsin on Sunday. Four different Northwest players – Jonny Brodzinski, Tony Cameranesi, Christian Horn and Tim Bonner – each scored two goals, with Cameranesi and Bonner each adding two assists. Defenseman Ben Ostlie of Edina had three assists in the game as Northwest ran its record to 7-2.
A 1-1-1 weekend left Team Great Plains tied for second place. Moorhead goalie Michael Bitzer stopped 31 of 33 shots as Northwest built a 3-0 lead, then hung on for a 3-2 win over Wisconsin. Saturday night Northwest got another strong goaltending effort from Grand Forks’ Bryan Nies, who made 36 saves in a 2-1 loss to Shattuck. Northwest earned its final point of the weekend Sunday in a 2-2 tie with Team Northeast. Bryant Christian and Eric Brenk – both of Moorhead – scored for Great Plains while Bitzer made 38 saves.
Team North, which had started the season 5-1, earned just a single point in an 0-2-1 weekend that left them tied for second. Saturday began with a 5-5 tie as Judd Peterson of Duluth Marshall scored with just 1:03 left in the game against Team Southeast. Goalie Alex Lyon kept North in the game with 45 saves. In the evening game, North lost 5-2 to Team Southwest despite goals from Matt Pohlkamp and Jared Kolquist. Goalie Dom DeGuiseppi of Grand Rapids faced 49 shots in the loss. On Sunday, North took Shattuck into the third period tied 2-2 before falling 4-2. Dom Toninato of Duluth East scored an unassisted goal to give North the early lead, and Jack McFarlane of Cloquet added a second-period goal.
Team Southeast, the league’s highest-scoring squad, posted a 2-0-1 weekend record to move up to fourth place. St. Thomas Academy’s Taylor Fleming had a goal and an assist in the 5-5 tie with North, and Vince Pedrie of Apple Valley scored twice in an 8-1 win over league-leading Northwest on Saturday night. A.J. Reid, Kevin Becker and Tony Barbato each had a goal and two assists in that game as Southeast launched 56 shots. On Sunday, Southeast completed its unbeaten weekend with a 7-4 win over Southwest. Will Merchant of Eagan had a pair of goals.
Team Wisconsin fell to fifth place with a winless weekend. After a 3-2 loss to Great Plains – despite outshooting Great Plains 33-26 – Wisconsin then lost 10-3 to Team Northeast and 13-6 to Team Northwest. Eau Claire’s Alexander Dahl led Wisconsin in scoring over the weekend with a goal and two assists.
Team Southwest earned its only two points in a 1-2-0 weekend by beating Team North 5-2 on Saturday. After a 2-0 loss at Shattuck earlier in the week, Edina’s Steven Fogarty scored two goals and added an assist in the victory over North, as goalie Connor Girard made 28 saves. Sunday ended with a 7-4 loss to Team Southeast despite a goal and an assist from Michael Sit and two assists by defenseman Dan Molenaar.
Shattuck-St. Mary’s began its Elite League play, and while they scored only eight goals in three games, strong goaltending led to a 3-0 record. On Wednesday, Peter Traber stopped all 30 shots he faced in a 2-0 win over Team Southeast. Saturday it was Kyle Hayton’s turn in goal, and he made 23 saves in a 2-1 win over Great Plains. Traber returned to goal on Sunday and stopped 32 shots in a 4-2 win over Team North. Nicholas Weberg had a pair of goals for Shattuck.
Team Northeast had its best weekend of the season, posting a 1-1-1 mark. After the Tuesday loss to Northwest, coach Chris McAlpine’s team jumped on Wisconsin for five first-period goals on Saturday en route to a 10-3 victory. Eric Freschi and Nick Turbitt each scored a pair of goals in the win, while A.J. Fossen added three assists. On Sunday, Max Birkinbine’s goal at 8:47 of the third period lifted Northeast into a 2-2 tie with Great Plains.
NOTES: Wayzata’s Tony Cameranesi’s four-point game (2G, 2A) against Wisconsin lifted him into the league scoring lead with 17 points. Northwest teammate Jonny Brodzinski of Blaine leads the league with 10 goals…This week’s Tuesday night Game of the Week features Team Northwest and Team Southwest at 7 p.m. at New Hope Arena…This week’s other league games will be held at Grand Rapids Civic Arena, and Ice Hawk Arena in Stevens Point, Wisconsin…The 10 a.m. game Sunday in Stevens Point features league-leading team Northwest facing Shattuck for the first time this season…Team Southeast had an impressive offensive week, scoring 20 goals and launching 155 shots in three games…Team Northwest Coach Pat Williams will be profiled in this week’s edition of Let’s Play Hockey…HOT GOALIES: Great Plain goalie Michael Bitzer, a junior from Moorhead, stopped 69 of 73 shots over the weekend. Shattuck-St. Mary’s goalies Peter Traber and Kyle Hayton combined to stop 85 of 88 shots, a big reason why Shattuck killed off all 13 opponent power plays during the week…Team Northwest is converting power play chances at a 37.25% rate (19 of 51).
