MyParkTeam

Saturday, 2/9/08 @ SLP Rec Ctr
JV vs. Cooper

Park turned the Cooper Hawks every which way but loose, outshooting them 33-3, and outscoring them 8-0.

Alex Smith started the fun with a goal early in the first, assisted by Dean Speicher, and that’s all Park would get in the period, despite 10 shots; Cooper had three shots—all they would collect in the game.

Park completely dominated the second period. Speicher scored (assisted by Jesse Solstad and Ethan Bohn), Dallas Koller scored off a rebound (assisted by Gage Larsen and Jerry Hills), Speicher scored again (assisted by Hills and Mike Yaeger), and Mike Nimmo scored (assisted by Smith).

Leading 5-0 at the second intermission, Park didn’t let up, and added three more. Speicher got his hat trick through the five-hole (assisted by Yeager and Josh Wagner), Koller scored his second goal (assisted by Larsen and Nelson Kivimaki), and Hills scored the final goal (assisted by Wagner and Smith).

Park’ goalie, Mickey Hills, was perfect and bored.

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Thursday, 2/7/08 @ SLP Rec Ctr
Jr. Varsity vs. Spring Lake Park

Park’s JVs beat Spring Lake Park, 6-2, Thursday night.

Park’s goals came from Jerry Hills, Ethan Bohn, Matt Saabye, Randy Cunningham, and two from Jesse Solstad. One of Solstad’s goals was a beautiful back-hander, and Cunningham’s goal came when Park was playing two men short!

“That was a snipe!” commented one Park player.

Park goalie, Mickey Hills, was excellent, stopping all but two shots.

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Thursday, January 3, 2008 @ SLP Rec. Center
Jr. Varsity vs. Blake

Park’s JV team lost a heart-breaker Thursday night, falling to Blake in overtime, 4-3.

If you googled “hockey game, frustrating way to lose, missed opportunites,” this game would pop up.

Park had a great first period, scoring 1:57 in on a goal by Case Ritzman, assisted by Jerry Hills. Dean Speicher scored a few minutes later on a deflection, assisted by Mike Nimmo and Nelson Kivimaki.

Leading 2-0 into the second, Park had all the momentum. Blake scored on a rebound at the 10:26 mark, but Park answered back when Hills scored less than a minute later, assisted by Jeff Howes, for a 3-1 lead.

The momentum seemed to shift when, with 37 seconds left in the period, Blake scored on a blast from the point. Blake thought they tied the game with seven seconds left, but a goal was waved off because the goal had come loose from the posts.

In the opening minutes of the third period, Park caught a break when, what appeared to be a Blake goal, was waved off when the referee had a bad angle on the play.

With under seven minutes to play, Blake won a face-off in their own end, then went coast-to-coast for a game-tying goal.
Park’s Nick Spencer saved a possible goal a minute later, poking the puck away from behind on a Blake breakaway.

Blake took two penalties within a few seconds of each other, and Park played almost two full minutes with two extra skaters, but couldn’t put the puck in the net, and the game went to a five minute overtime.

In overtime, Blake again took two penalties, and Park couldn’t get a shot on goal despite playing five-on-three for a minute and half.

After Blake got back to full strength, Park took a penalty, and Blake scored a power play goal off a deflection with 1:09 left in the game.

Park’s goalie, Mickey Hills, played a solid game, stopping 22 of 26 shots. Blake’s goalie stopped 27 of 30.

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Saturday, December 15, 2007 @ SLP Rec. Center
St. Louis Park Boys Jr. Varsity vs. Hopkins Royals

Hopkins jumped to an early lead, and Park just could never mount a comeback, falling 4-1.

Hopkins got on the scoreboard 5:24 into the first period, scoring on a rebound to go up 1-0.
Park had a few decent scoring opportunities in the period, with Randy Cunningham missing wide and Alex Smith having a point-blank shot stopped on a nice save. In all, Park had 7 shots to 12 for Hopkins, but just couldn’t light the lamp.

In the second period, Hopkins showed off their speed, and even when Park was at full-strength, it felt like they were a man down! Sean Robb, Gage Larson and Case Ritzman did a nice job on defense at the beginning of the period, thwarting a few Hopkins threats, but 4:03 in a Hopkins wing blasted a shot from the point passed Park goalie Mickey Hills to go up 2-0, then added another with 47 seconds left in the period to go up 3-0.

Park used so much energy in the first period, and first part of the second, that when they had a power-play midway through the period, they couldn’t muster a single shot on goal.

The game got physical during the second period, with Nick Spencer getting a roughing on what appeared to be a clean but hard check; Nelson Kivimaki and Josh Wagner also spent time in stir.

Hopkins continued their fine play in the third, but Park’s defense, having caught their wind, kept them scoreless through the first eight and a half minutes.

With 6:37 remaining, Jerry Hills found the net for Park on a nice move and quick wrist shot into the corner of the net, assisted by Dallas Koller.

Hopkins was a bit peaved at losing their shut-out, and took out their frustrations by sandwiching Park’s Kivimaki with a check from both sides.

With under four minutes to play, Hopkins was called for a penalty, and on the ensuing face-off, Hopkins won the face-off, skated down the ice unchecked, and blasted one past Hills to put Park up 4-1, which would be the final score.

Park goalie Mickey Hills was under great pressure the entire game, yet stopped 24 of 28 Hopkins shots for a .857 save%. Hopkins goalie stopped 14 of Park’s 15 shots (.933).

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Thursday, November 29, 2007 @ St. Louis Park Rec. Center
St. Louis Park Boys Junior Varsity vs. Eagan

Park ran out of gas in the third period Thursday night, losing to Eagan in their first game of the season.

Though the score wouldn’t seem to indicate it, Park played tough against a strong Eagan team. Eagan scored 4:06 into the first period, and added another with about 10 minutes remaining, but Park’s goalie, Mickey Hills, and his defense kept the home team in the game.

Jerry Hills, Ethan Bohn, Tucker Carlson and Dallas Koller played standout defense during most of the period, limiting Eagan’s high-powered offense to only seven shots. Eagan was equally impressive on defense, limiting Park to six shots, and hammering the Orioles with several solid checks. Park’s Josh Wagner was the recipient of one of these checks, getting his bell rung and being knocked to the ice.

With 5:15 left in the period, Park had a power play, but couldn’t capitalize, and the period ended with a 2-0 Eagan lead.

Park played with great energy in the second period. “If we can regularly play like we did in that second period, we’ll be fine,” said Park assistant coach Aaron McEchran.

Four minutes into the period, Alex Smith had Park’s best scoring opportunity of the game to that point when he blasted a slap-shot on goal, but Eagan’s goalie gloved the puck to his left.

Case Ritzman ripped a shot wide seconds later, and Mike Nimmo’s shot on a breakaway was also gloved. With 9:00 left in the period, Ritzman deflected a shot in front of the goal, barely missing wide, then Eagan skated down and scored their only goal of the period, giving them a 3-0 lead.

Park had a power play with 6:25 left in the period, but couldn’t get a decent shot off as Eagan hunkered down. Hills made a great save with 2:40 left to keep the Eagan scoring at bay, and the period ended.

Park was completely spent after the furious pace of the second period, and Eagan scored five unanswered goals in the third to make the final score Eagan 8, Park 0.

Park’s goalie was a sitting duck all period, with Eagan getting 15 shots, many of them wide open ones, while Park managed only one shot.

“[Park’s goalie Mickey Hills] didn’t have a chance,” said Coach McEachran. “We had one defender picking up five Eagan guys. They were getting great shots, and they were cranking up, pirouetting, and picking where they wanted to shoot.”

Park’s Smith and Jerry Hills were both hurt during the period after taking hard checks.

The only highlight of the third period was the check of the game, a bone-shaking hit by Park’s Nelson Kivimaki.

Park’s goalie Mickey Hills stopped 26 of 34 (.765), while Eagan’s goalie stopped all 12 of Park’s shots.
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