Jason Richter still had one year of Junior hockey eligibility remaining in Canada, but he decided to come to Jamestown instead.
So far, it's paying off for everybody.
Richter scored his seventh goal of the season to help the 9th-ranked Jimmies defeat Dakota College Bottineau 4-1 in an exhibition game at Wilson Arena on Friday night.
"The junior hockey thing was kinda getting old for me so I decided to stick with some of my best friends and come to Jamestown," the Cranbrook, British Columbia native said. "I love it. It's a great town to live in. The school is great, the classes are great and the teachers are unbelievable."
The hockey's been pretty good too and Richter is one of the main reasons why. Richter was part of a big recruiting haul from the same Canadian Junior team along with standout goalie Tyson Brouwer, fellow forward Eric Buckley and defenseman Justin Meier. Brouwer had 18 saves Friday night
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"I think the biggest thing is the character of our team and the approach we bring each day to practice and to games," Richter said. "We don't have the same amount of skill as some of the top, top teams, but when we stick to our identity of being a meat-and-potatoes hockey team, that's when we're at our best."
Lance Noomen, Bryson Yee and Cayle Bell also scored for the Jimmies against the Lumberjacks, who lost for the first time this season. Bottineau is the defending junior college national champion.
The Jimmies dominated play much of the night, but coach Dean Stork said it was far from a flawless effort.
"To be honest with you I thought the first period was one of the worst periods we've played in a long time," Stork said. "Our puck management was not good. Do you know how many turnovers we had in that game? 45 ... just way, way too many turnovers."
The Jimmies dominated in the offensive zone with 57 shots, but struggled to finish chances.
"We have a tough time scoring," Stork said. "We're creating a lot of chances ... eventually they'll go."
The Jimmies have 11 wins in all competitions (20), although Friday's tilt did not count in the standings. Richter said he and his teammates are not surprised by their success, but are far from satisfied.
"We try not to get too high or low depending on how each game goes," Richter said. "There's always things we can do better, and things we have to do better. We need to work on our passing and I think that will improve the more we play together."
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Stork is seeking rapid progress as the Jimmies have a big showdown looming Sunday against No. 6 Iowa State. Another game against Bottineau is up first tonight at 7 p.m. at Wilson Arena.
"We're struggling right now in our D-zone," Stork said. "We got a bunch of hard-working kids, but we need much stronger efforts with the puck."
University of Jamestown 4, Dakota College Bottineau 1
First period
1, UJ, Lance Noomen (Jeremy McNeil), 13:12.
Second period
2, Bryson Yee (unassisted), 2:53; 3, DCB, Parker Sharp (Charles Joly), 14:49.
Third period
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4, UJ, Jason Richter (Garret Browning, Ned Simpson) 12:03; 5, UJ, Cayle Bell (Allan Pruss, Michael Pruss), 14:38.
Goalie saves: Bottineau, Kenny Fitzgerald 18-17-18--53. UJ, Tyson Brouwer 6-4-8--18.
Penalties:
