River Lakes boys extend winning streak to four

Prairie Centre

The River Lakes Stars boys’ hockey team trailed 1-0 less than two minutes into their game -versus Prairie Centre. The team scored two straight goals – one by Evan Jones and another by Walker -Greeley – to take a 2-1 lead after one period. 

Not looking back, the Stars scored five more unanswered goals – two in the second and three more in the third – to pull away with the 7-1 home win on Tuesday, Jan. 28.

Jaiken Mackedanz led the Stars with a hat trick, scoring both goals in the second, and the team’s first goal in the third. Blake Schultz added two more goals in the third.

Mackedanz paced the team in points with four behind those three goals and one assist. Schultz finished with two points behind two goals, and Parker Welz and Eric Paulson also finished with two points behind two assists each.

Stars goalie William Robinson finished with a save percentage of 91% (10 of 11) in the win, according to numbers on the Star Tribune’s Minnesota Boys’ Hockey Hub.

Little Falls  

Trailing 4-2 in the second period, the Stars would get two late second-period goals – one by Griffin Mayhew and the another by Jaiken Mackedanz – to tie the score at 4-4 heading into the final period. The team carried over that momentum into this last period.

Parker Welz and Blake Schultz each recorded goals for the Stars, the latter giving the team a 6-4 lead 12:07 into the period. The Stars held off Little Falls for the 7-5 home win on Thursday, Jan. 30.

Little Falls closed to within one, at 7-6, on a goal at the 14:11 mark but, with Little Falls leaving the net empty, the Stars capped the win just over a minute and a half later on a Welz goal.

Mackedanz led the Stars in points with four behind one goal and three assists. Welz and Mayhew also recorded three points on two goals, and one assist each. As for those not already mentioned, Gabe Hoekstra also earned a goal in this game.

Stars goalie William Robinson finished with a save percentage of 84% (26 of 31), according to numbers on the Star Tribune’s Minnesota Boys’ Hockey Hub.

Breckenridge/Wahpeton

The Stars set the tone early, scoring three goals – one by Eli Engebretson, another by Evan Jones, and the last one by Parker Welz – to take a 3-0 lead over Breckenridge/Wahpeton at the 7:45 mark. The team didn’t look back, taking a 5-1 lead after one period, and adding four more goals in the third period en route to the 9-1 home victory on Friday, Jan. 31.

After Breckenridge/Wahpeton closed to within two, at 3-1, the Stars earned two goals before the end of the period via Jaiken Mackedanz and Welz.

In the final period, with the Stars still leading 5-1, Blake Schultz started and capped the third-period scoring with goals. In-between, Arthur Olson and Emmett Tennant also earned goals for the Stars in this final period.

Leading the Stars, Schultz and Welz finished with three points behind two goals and one assist each, Jace Griffin three points behind three assists, and Griffin Mayhew and Noah Olmscheid two points behind two assists each.

Stars goalie William Robinson finished with a save percentage of 93% (14 of 15), according to numbers on the Star Tribune’s Minnesota Boys’ Hockey Hub.

With the victory, the team extends its winning streak to four games, and improves to 14-6-2 on the season, currently sitting fifth in the Section 5A standings.

Next action

After ending their six-game homestand Feb. 4 versus Pine City, the Stars boys hit the road to play Fergus Falls on Thursday, Feb. 6, and end their regular season at home versus Willmar on Tuesday, Feb. 11.