River Lakes boys close out regular season, open postseason

Pine City

The River Lakes Stars boys’ hockey team and Pine City Area Dragons were locked in a 1-1 tie going into the final minute of the third period, setting up for a potential overtime period. 

Instead, the tie would be broken in that final minute when the Dragons’ Blake Painovich scored a goal with 45 seconds left. The Stars couldn’t answer in those final 45 seconds and fell in a section home game by a 2-1 final on Tuesday, Feb. 4, halting the team’s four-game winning streak.

Eric Paulson got the Stars on the board first on a goal with 2:45 remaining in the first period. This lead held until the Dragons answered with a goal just under seven minutes into the second period.

Paulson recorded one point on the one goal and Blake Schultz one point on the assist to lead the Stars.

Stars’ goalie William -Robinson finished with a save percentage of 90% (18 of 20), according to numbers provided on the Minnesota Star Tribune Minnesota Boys’ Hockey Hub.

Fergus Falls

Trailing 3-0 late in the second period after allowing three first-period goals to the Fergus Falls Otters, the Stars scored three goals in less than a minute and a half to tie the game at 3-3 heading into the third period.

The score remained tied at 3-3 after three periods, sending the game into overtime. The Stars couldn’t complete its comeback with a win, instead allowing a goal by the Otters’ Luke Johnson just over six minutes into the extra period to drop a conference road game 4-3 on Thursday, Feb. 6.

In that second period, Parker Welz started the Stars’ rally, recording a goal with 1:38 left in the second period. He recorded his second goal just 39 seconds later – with 59 seconds left in the period – to pull the Stars within one, at 3-2. Jace Griffin completed the Stars’ rally on a goal with 22 seconds remaining in the period, tying the score at 3-3.

Parker Welz recorded two points on those two goals, and Jaiken Mackedanz two points on two assists to lead the Stars. Griffin recorded a point on that one goal, and Griffin Mayhew and Blake Schultz each one point on one assist to also pace the team.

Stars goalie William Robinson finished with a save percentage of 87.5% (28 of 32), according to numbers provided on the Minnesota Star Tribune Minnesota Boys’ Hockey Hub.

Willmar

After dropping a pair of games, the Stars jumped out to a 1-0 lead early in the first period on a Jace Griffin goal at the 2:06 mark. Blake Schultz scored a goal with 30 seconds left in the period, helping the Stars go into the second period with a 2-0 lead over the Willmar Cardinals.

The Stars never looked back, scoring four more goals in the second period to earn the 6-0 conference home win – the team’s regular season finale – on Tuesday,
Feb. 11.

Jaiken Mackedanz recorded a hat trick with three goals in that second period, and Eli Engebretson also scored a goal in the team’s four-goal second period. 

Mackedanz posted four points on three goals and one assist, and Schultz four points on one goal and three assists to lead the Stars. Jace Griffin recorded two points on one goal and one assist, Engebretson one point on one goal, and Parker Welz one point on one assist.

William Robinson made seven saves in the shutout win, according to numbers provided on the Minnesota Star Tribune Minnesota Boys’ Hockey Hub. 

With the win, the Stars finished their regular season with a 15-8-2 record.

Next action

The Stars earned the sixth seed in the Section 5A Boys’ Hockey Tournament and will open play on the road versus third-seeded Little Falls in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 7 pm.