Physical affair: Rebound goals lift Demons past JHS in penalty-filled game

• Image

Talk about it

Jamestown and Bismarck High’s boys hockey game on Thursday night was physical to say the least — the two teams combined for 17 penalties.

But rebound goals proved to be the difference, as Bismarck’s Jared Spooner and Cole Olson scored from the left side off missed shots in the first period, sparking the Demons to a 4-2 win in West Region play at Wilson Arena.

“These two teams don’t really like each other,” Jamestown senior Jake Stilwell said. “You don’t really see what’s going on on the ice. There’s a little bit of jawing. It kinda gets the blood flowing. It’s a contact sport and that’s how it should be played.”

Spooner, who also had two tripping penalties, scored the game’s first goal on a power-play opportunity with 7 minutes, 55 seconds elapsed in the first period after Cooper Cox fired the puck at Jamestown goalie Tygh Yatskis from the right side.

Eight minutes later, it was more of the same as a Nick Goulet’s shot bounced off Yatskis stick and Olson was there for the even-strength score to put the Demons up 2-0.

“His job is to stop the first one,” Jamestown coach Matt Stockert said of Yatskis. “We’re looking to guys to clear the puck out of the front of the net. You’ve gotta win some battles.”

Stilwell brought out the teddy bears in the second period.

On the power play, standout forward took the puck from behind the net and wrapped around to slip it past Bismarck goalie Trenton Schwehr on the right side nearly four minutes in. Celebrating Teddy Bear Toss night, stuffed animals were thrown onto the ice just seconds after Stilwell’s shot hit the back of the net. The teddy bears are donated to charities and distributed to kids in the area.

Jamestown squandered four power-play opportunities in the second, though, as it clearly had momentum after the goal, which was assisted on by Matt Grounds and Alex Williams.

“We did a real good job in the second period of containing them, making them work to get to the net,” Stockert said. “I thought in the third period we did the same thing, but we got into penalty trouble.”

The physical nature of the game was evident by a third period that featured eight penalties. Bismarck had a 3-1 lead on another rebound goal, this time by Cox.

It turned dramatic after that.

The back and forth between the two teams hit a climax when Jamestown junior Brandon Stahlhut was given a 5-minute major and ejected after a checking from behind penalty with 5:32 to play. The Blue Jays were short-handed for the next 5 minutes, but did get a late goal from Jakobi Lux on an odd-man rush with 24 seconds remaining. Schwehr finished with 18 saves in the win.

“Hopefully, there’s some lessons learned there as well,” Stockert said.

Yatskis stopped 25 shots for the Blue Jays, who play host to Williston at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Wilson Arena.

Bismarck goalie Mike Peluso was unavailable for comment.

Bismarck High 4, Jamestown 2

Bismarck 2 0 2 — 4

Jamestown 0 1 1 — 2

First period: 1, B, Jared Spooner (Cooper Cox), 7:55, power play; 2, Cole Olson (Nick Goulet), 16:02.

Second period: 3, J, Jake Stilwell (Matt Grounds, Alex Williams).

Third period: 4, B, Cox (Spooner, Quinn Irey), 5:32; 5, B, Irey (unassisted), 14:04, pp; 6, J, Jakobi Lux (Dakotah Spitzer, Williams), 16:34.

Goalie saves: B, Trenton Schwehr 4-8-6—18. J, Tygh Yatskis 11-8-6—25.

Penalties: BHS 8 minors, JHS 1 major, 8 minors.

Sun sports writer Chris Aarhus can be reached at (701) 952-8462 or by email at caarhus@jamestownsun.com

Tags: sports, hockey, jays