Braves top Blue Jays in qualifier

The Jamestown girls’ hockey team will be making the trip to Grand Forks alone this year.

The Blue Jay boys couldn’t contain Bottineau’s high-powered offense as the Braves blew by Jamestown 6-2 on Saturday in the West Region tournament in Bismarck.

Logan Millican, who is the state’s leading goal-scorer, recorded two goals and assisted on one to help lift Bottineau into the state tournament as the No. 3 seed out of the West. The Braves (19-5-0) will open the tournament against Fargo North.

Jake Stilwell scored both goals for the Blue Jays to finish his year with a team-leading 29 goals. Senior Ben Sorenson and Riley Schafer each registered assists in their final high school game. JHS will lose eight seniors, including four of the top five point-scorers in Sorenson, Schafer, Brady Anderson and Nick Jenson.

Stilwell’s first score came early in the first period in response to Bottineau’s Cody Bedlion’s opening goal just two minutes into the contest.

Stilwell found the back of the net less than two minutes later to knot it at 1-all, but Millican broke the tie with his first goal and Luke Amsbaugh put the Braves up 3-1 after the first.

Millican and Stilwell each scored their second goals of the contest in the second period, but Bottineau’s Kyle Volk and Zack Kihle added two more scores in the third to seal the deal.

The Blue Jays (8-15-1) threw 30 shots on net, and Bottineau goalie Cody Brooks turned away 28 of them to record the victory.

Tygh Yatskis faced 40 shots in the game, stopping 34 of them.

West Region Tournament

In Bismarck

VFW Arena

state qualifier

Bottineau 6, Jamestown 2

Jamestown 1 1 0 — 2

Bottineau 3 1 2 — 6

Scoring

First period

1, BOT, Cody Bedlion (Taylor Neubauer), 2:06; 2, JHS, Jake Stilwell (unassisted), 3:56; 3, BOT, Logan Millican (Harrison Aide), 12:53; 4, BOT, Luke Amsbaugh (Millican), 15:19.

Second period

5, BOT, Millican (Aide), 15:34; 6, Stilwell (Ben Sorenson, Riley Schafer), 16:40, PP.

Third period

7, BOT, Kyle Volk (Nick Monson), 6:45; 8, BOT, Zack Kihle (Amsbaugh, Aide), 7:27.

Penalties: Jamestown 5 for 10 minutes; Bottineau 5 for 10 minutes.

Goalie saves: Jamestown, Tygh Yatskis 10-9-15—34; Bottineau, Cody Brooks 7-13-8—28.

Records: Jamestown 8-15-1; Bottineau 19-5-0.

Tags: sports, jays, hockey