Knights Win Prestigious ProStock Prep Invitational defeating Loyola Academy 4-0 in Final.
Knights Undefeated in last 16 games (13-0-3)
The first game of the tournament was a good test for the Knights as they faced off against the Saint Viator Lions. After an early Lions goal, Kayle Bocken (Monticello, MN) tied the game up for the Knights. The Knights were then able to establish their forecheck and were rewarded for their efforts as Connor Kemp (Placentia, CA) was able to give NorthStar a 2-1 lead after a nice pass from Talon Sigurdson (Sartell, MN). Ben Casey (Eagle River, AK) added the insurance on the powerplay on a nice pass for Kemp. The Knights penalty kill was stellar, killing off all 5 opportunities. Junior goaltender, Camdyn Barber (Portland, OR), shut the door after the opening faceoff posting 17 saves in the win.
The Knights second game ended in a 1-1 tie against another Illinois team, the Spartans of Glenbrook. The Spartans scored first but the Knights tied it in the 2 nd with a highlight reel goal by Junior defenseman Luke Anderson (St. Cloud, MN). Junior goaltender, Collin Soderholm (Monticello, MN), had a great performance, posting 22 saves in the win.
Game 3 saw the Knights play the tournament’s top ranked team, New Trier Green. Similar to game 2, the Knights went down 1-0 before battling back for a hard fought 1-1 tie as Kemp scored the equalizer off of a rebound. The Knights had their first big test on special teams, killing off four penalties in the 2nd period. Leading the way for the Knights on the PK were forwards, Kayle Bocken and Ben Casey, as well as Defensemen, Logan Johnson (Pine City, MN) and Christian Nichols (Alpharetta, GA). Junior netminder, Camdyn Barber stood on his head stopping 20 shots against Illinois best team.
The Quarterfinals saw the Knights outplay the Stevenson Patriots, winning 7-2 and advancing to the semi-finals. NorthStar came out flying as forward, Nate Albers (McKinney, TX) sniped short side off of a great lead-pass from defenseman, Jakob Stender (Alexandria, MN). With a jolt of energy, the flood gates were opened as Sophomore, Jens Richards (Detroit Lakes, MN), scoring a natural hat-trick. Additional goals by Albers, Joey Dosan (Bloomington, MN), and Talon Sigurdson rounded out the Knights scoring.
The semi finals was a rematch of the 1-1 tie with New Tier and the 2 nd time was just as close. After going down 1-0 early in the first, Nate Albers fired a laser onto the far pad of the New Trier’s goaltender giving a juicy rebound for Bryce Swalve (Sioux City, IA) to knock home, yet Swalve was dragged down before he could score. On the ensuing powerplay, Joey Dosan evening the score at 1 on a nice tip in front of the net. The game would remain 1-1 until Connor Kemp knocked in a rebound for another game winning goal. Knights defensemen John Drury (Thousand Oaks, CA) and Tyler Ryder (Grand Rapids, MI) anchored a defensive wall against the blitzkrieg of New Trier offense. Rounding out the wall was goalie, Camdyn Barber, who posted a impressive 24 saves. The Knights would hold on to the lead beating the state’s #1 ranked team by a score of 2-1.
The championship game against Loyola, the defending Illinois State Champions was all Knights. The Knights came ready to play as the DVR line (Dosan, Vercellono, and Richards) each scored one of the first 3 goals to provide all the offensive the Knights would need. The Knights added a late goal when Truett Olson (Alexandria, MN) created a turnover allowing Kemp to score from a near impossible angle. The Knights went on to claim the championship of the Pro Stock Hockey Prep Invitational with a 4-0 win overLoyola Gold. Junior forward Connor Kemp won the Warrior award in recognition of his
fierce play this past week-end in all 6 Knights games.
The Knights travel to Farbault, MN to play the U18 Shattuck St. Mary’s team on Saturday and Sunday.