Maple Grove, MN (Sept. 21, 2022)
For more information, contact: Johnny Van Atta, Director of Hockey Operations (615) 830-1113, [email protected]
The Northstar Knights 16U and 18U Prep teams traveled down to Maple Grove, Minnesota to play in the Blades Showcase over the weekend. The 16U Knights went 1-1 on the weekend to go along with 2 ties and the 18U Knights went 3-1-0.
The 16U Knights played the New Jersey Rockets (NJ), Windy City Storm (IL), Bishop Kearney (NY), and Chicago Mission (IL). In their first game, the Knights were defeated by the Rockets 7-1. Jacob Peterson got the lone goal coming on the power play, assisted by William Bisset and Jake Spraetz. The Knights then rebounded in game 2 on Saturday morning against Windy City where they tied 4-4. Grady Stallman led the way with 2 goals and Evan Leden and Bisset also added goals. Ben Likness contributed with 2 assists. In game 3, they took down Bishop Kearney 3-2 with goals from Peterson, Spraetz and Michael Mathison. Brady Krey was solid in goal for the Knights as he turned away 20 of 22 shots for a .909 SV%. On Sunday, the Knights took on a very strong opponent in the Chicago Mission where they tied 3-3. Goals were scored by Likness, Peterson and Stallman. Stefano Carranza saved 22 of 25 shots. Stallman and Peterson led the team with 3 goals over the weekend and Lincoln Hjelm, Bisset and Likness all led the Knights with 3 assists. After a humbling first game, the 16U Knights steadily improved over the weekend. “I’m very pleased with only being together for 7 days as a team with 18 new players to see how our team competed at a high level with a lot of room to grow.” Said Coach, Dallas Steward. “We are excited for the potential to grow as a team over the next 7 months.”
The 18U Knights took on the Florida Alliance (FL), Bishop Kearney (NY), Windy City Storm (IL), and Chicago Mission (IL). The Knights opened the showcase by taking down the Alliance 8-1. Landon Dauner and Shane Burns had 2 goals a piece and Bronson Hunt led the team with 4 points (1G, 3A). Beck Lidén and C.J Sehlke combined in net for the win. On Saturday, the Knights were defeated by Bishop Kearney 7-1 with the loan goal coming from a beautiful point shot from Max Evans. The Knights rebounded with a scrappy 3-2 win over the Storm as Bronson Hunt led the way again with 2 goals to go along with a goal from Dawson McCann. Newcomer, Noel Friedman, got the win in net, turning away 20 of 22 shots. The Knights closed out the weekend with a resounding win against the Mission, defeating them 7-2. Caleb Elfering opened up the scoring frenzy with 2 goals, with the other goals coming from Landon Dauner, Kaleb Pitman, Tanner Hunt, Dawson McCann and Nathan Huntington. Luke Russell led the team in points with 3 assists. Lidén returned back in net where he stopped 22 of 24 shots for a .917 SV%. With the weekend concluded, Bronson Hunt leads the team with 8 points (3G, 5A), and Shane Burns leads the defensemen with 5 points (2G, 3A). “The weekend was a great start to get our team back together and play some really good hockey games,” said Coach Tim Jackman. “We learned a lot about our group and each other and it was a great first step in our season!”
The Knights play at home this weekend against the Minnesota Lakers on Saturday, September 24th at 4:30 PM and 7:00 PM and Sunday, September 25th at 9:30 AM and 12:00 PM.