Rails Survive Scare, Move On To Semi-Finals

Wes Vork-NSO

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Feb 24

Kerry Rodd-NSO

For most of Thursday’s Section 5A boys hockey game it looked like the Proctor Rails were in total command in their game with Princeton. The Rails, at one point, held a 5-1 lead in the second period only to have the Tigers rally and send the game to overtime. Luckily the Rails were able to bounce back and take a 6-5 overtime victory and a chance to move on to the semi-finals.

Ian Ecklund got the Rails started early with a goal that the Princeton Goalie lost track of and trickled in just 19 seconds into the game. Justin Scanlon and Cody Gauthier added assists. At 10:29 the Rails made it 2-0 when Ecklund converted a pass from Scanlon into a beautiful top corner goal. Just over three minutes later the Rails were up 3-0 following another goal from Ecklund; his third of the game, this one came on the power play with Tyler Pionk and Gauthier adding the assists. With just 34 seconds remaining in the period the Tigers notched their first goal when Sam Fritz scored with Chase Lindenfelser assisting and the first period ended with the Rails up 3-1.

Proctor added to their goal total at the nine minute mark of the second period when Randy Bauer scored a power play goal as Ecklund and Gauthier assisted. It was all Proctor when Patrick Everson pounded home a goal at 11:29 with Jeremy Lopez adding the assist. At that point it was 5-1 Rails.

Things started to turn at 12:36 of the second period when Sam Fritz scored on the power play for the Tigers. Although it looked harmless enough, the Tigers used that momentum to add another goal less than a minute and a half later when Jake Green scored an unassisted goal at 14:03. The second period ended with the Rails up 5-3, but the Tigers entered their lockeroom with a renewed sense of hope.

That hope reached another level when D.J. Perez pounced on a puck and belted it past Rails goalie Brody Morin at 5:47 to cut the Rails lead down to 5-4. The game got really crazy when the Tigers pulled goalie Ryan Carlson and eventually were able to tie the game with only one second remaining in regulation on a goal by Jake Green.

With all the momentum heading in the Tigers direction, the Rails somehow managed to regroup prior to overtime and they did not allow a shot on goal in the extra session. Cody Gauthier was finally able to cap off the game for Proctor after taking a feed from Pionk for the game-winner at 4:40 of overtime and the Rails escaped with the narrow victory.

The Rails tossed 42 shots on the Tiger goal, while Morin saved 21 shots from Princeton.

Proctor will now travel to Rogers to play the Royals in a sectional semi-final game on Saturday night at 7pm. Rogers defeated Moose Lake Area 10-1 in their quarterfinal game on Thursday.

Kerry Rodd can be reached at kerry@northlandsportsonline.com