PREP BOYS HOCKEY: Penalties sink Trojans

WORTHINGTON — Penalties once again sank the Trojan boys hockey team as the Marshall Tigers used three power play goals on seven opportunities to put together a dominate 7-0 Southwest Conference road win.

“We told the guys before the game that Marshall has a strong power play, so we have to stay out of the box,” WHS coach Nate Grimmius said. “They are starting to protect the players more this year, so I think you are going to see more of those all year long.

“But we have to stay away from those, because it hurts you when you have a guy in the box for 5 minutes.”

The Trojans picked up five minors penalties on the night along with a double minor and a 5-minute major for checking from behind.

The Tigers picked up their first goal less than seven minutes into the game on a strong shot by Leo Zerr with an assist going to Corey Clark. That was the only goal Worthington goalie Rylan Scholtes allowed in the first period while making 21 saves.

“I know our first period we came out and played right with them,” Grimmius said. “Our positioning wasn’t bad in the first period, but our passing was off and as the game progressed it got worse. At that point we started to just chase the puck and that isn’t good.”

Marshall took advantage of Worthington’s miscues regularly in the second to build a 5-0 lead on the back of two of its three power play goals. The last two goals of the period were scored just over a minute apart on two shots Scholtes wishes he had back.

“A couple of the goals I just missed, but there were others that I was screened on and some that were just good shots,” Scholtes said. “When I’m taking so many shots, I just try to shake it off because there isn’t much I can do about it.”

The third period calmed down a little for the Trojans, but the Tigers were still able to net two more goals to extend their lead to seven.

Besides struggling with penalties, the Trojans had trouble keeping pucks away from Scholtes all night long. The Tigers took 61 shots on net in the game and Scholtes was able to stop 53 of them.

“Our positioning is key when it comes to letting the other team get so many shots,” Grimmius said. “The reason they are getting so many shots is because we are running around the rink chasing the puck and not being disciplined and staying in our zones.”

Although the score was lopsided, Worthington did have its fair share of chances to put the puck in the net.

“We had some opportunities this game,” Grimmius said. “We just didn’t capitalize on them because our passing was so off. If we were making those passes, we could have put a few in the net tonight.”

With a strong Luverne team coming to town Thursday night, Grimmius and Scholtes both know the team needs to improve if they are going to be competitive in the Southwest Conference.

“I want to try and get better from game to game,” Scholtes said. “As a team we just need to keep on improving because we can move the puck a little better and pass a little better too.”

Thursday’s game starts at 7:30 p.m. for the boys, while the girls take to the ice at 5:30 p.m. to face Luverne’s girls squad in another tough conference match-up.

Daily Globe Reporter Jordan Willi

may be reached at 376-7335.

Tags: sports, prep, hockey, boys, trojans