MANDAN, ND –
Zach Garrett,
Kyler Moore and
Dalton Johnson each scored a pair of goals for the top-ranked University of Mary hockey team in a 9-0 win over visiting Williston State College. The Marauders posted a trio of goals in the first period before adding five more in the second against the Tetons.
The Marauders, who have scored 18 goals in their last two home games, improve to 33-7 on the season. UMary is ranked first nationally in the ACHA Division II poll. Williston State is 9-19-0-1 on the season. This was a makeup game from late November.
The Tetons nearly struck first but were turned away by a great play from
Johnny Witzke. With UMary goalkeeper
Kyle Hayden sprawled on the ice out of position early in the opening period, Tetons forward Tanner Davis was camped alone on the left side of a wide open Marauders goal. Unable to get his stick on the puck on his first chance, Davis then slid the puck slowly towards the UMary goal. Just before the puck was set to cross the goal line, Witzke arrived on the scene to clear the puck and prevent a goal.
All momentum the remainder of the game was on UMary's side as the Marauders soon began their scoring barrage. Garrett found the net first, knocking home a rebound off a shot by Andy Huber at the 7:09 mark. With intermission looming, the Marauders tallied two more times late in the first. At 16:51,
Seth Cushing took a feed from Garrett and
Andrew Heckaman to double the Marauders lead.
Less than a minute later with UMary on its first power play of the night, Moore scored to increase the Marauders lead to 3-0 at the end of the opening period.
Johnny Witzke and
Logan Kraft both picked up assists on Moore's first goal of the night.
The second period started the way the first period ended as Moore scored another power play goal, again with an assist to Witzke, at 4:29. UMary finished 3-for-4 on the power play for the game. Williston State was 0-for-3.
The Marauder success with a man advantage continued less than five minutes later. Scoring a third power play goal of the night on their third straight opportunity, Johnson knocked home his first goal of the night with help from Moore and Witzke to increase the Marauders lead to 5-0.
Not yet finished, Garrett, Witzke and Huber all added goals in the second period for an 8-0 UMary advantage. The Marauders added one more goal in the third period off the stick of Johnson.
Witzke posted a team-best four points in the game with three assists and a goal. Johnson, Moore and Garrett all had 3-point nights with two goals and an assist each. Cushing and Huber both had a goal and an assist and Kraft and
Andrew Heckaman each had two assists each.
Hayden and
Maysion Mattern combined for the shutout. Hayden made 18 saves in the first two periods while Mattern stopped all three shots he faced in the third period. A pair of Tetons keepers combined for 40 saves.
The Marauders next have a home and home series with the University of Jamestown. Facing the Jimmies ACHA Division 2 team for the first time, the two squads play in Jamestown on Friday, Jan. 31, before closing the weekend out at Schwan Cadillac Rink at Starion Sports Complex in Mandan, ND, on Saturday, Feb. 1.
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