No. 10 Moorhead tops No. 13 Andover in boys hockey

The Spuds may have found one with a shakeup of the lines and a message sent from coaches that no spot is guaranteed. It showed in a dominating 3-1 win over No. 13 Andover on Monday.

"That's just what we're capable of when all of us do what we're supposed to do," Moorhead left winger Carter Randklev said. "First period was looking the same as it has through most of the season. It was a little rough, but it was time we figure something out between our team. We don't have much time left. It's obviously right now when we need to start going. That's what we decided to do in the second and third period. We're capable of making other teams look like they're standing still."

Randklev, Cole O'Connell and Jack Stetz have been on a forward line together since the middle of their sophomore season, helping push the Spuds to the state championship game last season as juniors. The seniors were split up Saturday, as O'Connell centered a line with junior Isaac Henkemeyer-Howe and senior Parker Dronen. Junior Kyler Kleven moved to the center position with Stetz and Randklev. The two lines have 24 points in the last two games.

"I'm liking the way the new lines are working out for us," Randklev said. "It's good to kind of see what new options bring you. As of the last two games it's been working out pretty well for us. I feel like we're a little bit deeper now, we're starting to figure out all our roles, and we're starting to roll through teams."

It was more of the same in the first period for a Moorhead (12-6) team that entered 2-6 against ranked Class 2A teams this season. The Spuds were the more dominant team, but Andover took a lead into the first break. Michael Clough fought for the puck behind the net, came out with it in the left circle, fired across to Gunnar Thoreson in the right circle and there was no chance for Moorhead goalie Lance Leonard.

"We are a good team when we play hard, bring it to the net and don't give up," Dronen said. "We got to bring it to the net, get in the grindy areas and get those second-chance opportunities. This is a picker-upper I guess. They're a pretty good team, so this helps the confidence."

Spuds didn't take long to even things up in the second. Andover goalie Ben Fritsinger stopped an O'Connell shot, but Dronen was there to hammer home the rebound 1 minute, 29 seconds into the period.

"That's the hardest we've played all season in the second and third," Moorhead coach Jon Ammerman said. "Our kids were rewarded for it. I thought we played very well the second half of that game, and that's a very good team, a deep team, relatively young, but I thought we did a nice job of wearing them down."

Randklev put the Spuds on top 33 seconds into the third, firing top shelf. Less than six minutes later, Henkemeyer-Howe's wraparound gave the Spuds a two-goal cushion.

Andover (11-4), which had beaten three ranked teams in a row, had no chance, getting outshot 38-13 in the game. The Spuds may have found their spark doing things the bright lights of cameras don't see.

"I think we were really tough to play against in the second and third with little things some people don't notice," Ammerman said. "Our sticks were on the ice, we were finishing checks, we were gaining zones. Those little things that don't end up in the stat sheet, but by the end of the night if you keep doing those things it tires out the other team."

FIRST PERIOD: 1, A, Thoreson (Clough), 14:23.

SECOND PERIOD: 2, M, Dronen (O'Connell, Henkemeyer-Howe), 1:29.

THIRD PERIOD: 3, M, Randklev (Kleven, Stetz), 0:33. 4, M, Henkemeyer-Howe (Dronen), 5:55.

SAVES: A, Fritsinger 10-11-14—35. M, Leonard 4-5-3—12.