Bluejays skate past Austin, Luverne

After snapping a five-game losing streak to begin January, the Waseca High School boys’ hockey team battled to victory in an overtime thriller at Austin Tuesday, Jan. 10. After losing to Dodge County, a team they’ve usually struggled against, the following Thursday, the boys upset Luverne at home Saturday.

Waseca 3, Austin 2 OT

Austin didn’t make the game easy at all for Waseca. The Packers were in search of their second win, and Matthew Phanchan opened things up for his team 2:20 into the game. Grady Carney supplied a second goal with only a few minutes left in the first period.  Waseca forward Brayden Hesch-Priem tallied one to make it a one-goal deficit at the end of the first period.

With the help of Keaton Roeker, Griffin Krautkremer got the tying goal less than four minutes into the second period. After that, both teams were quiet.

Waseca outshot Austin 25-18 in the latter two periods in regulation. But neither Bluejay goalie Carter Martens nor Packers netminder Ethan Knox were letting one in.

It was a short overtime, with Waseca only needing three shots to get one past Knox. Roeker scored the goal unassisted.

Martens ended the day saving 27 of 29 shots for a .931 save percentage

Dodge County 6, Waseca 3

Dodge County, a team the Bluejays lost to 11-1 last season, showed the same relentless drive they had last year. Martens was asked to face 51 shots. Waseca was allowed 16 attempts.

Kratukremer was the first to score, giving Waseca a 1-0 lead for a little over a minute in the first period. Dodge County scored the next two goals and never trailed after that.

Roeker and Krautkremer scored the Bluejays’ final goals.

An attempt to climb back into it with an extra attacker fell short when Dodge County’s Gryffon Funke scored the empty-netter.

Martens blocked 46 shots for a .902 save percentage.

Waseca 5, Luverne 4

The Bluejays were waiting for over a month to get a chance at redemption against Big South rival Luverne after losing on the road 11-1. And if last year’s 2-1 vengeance victory was any indication, they had a chance.

Luverne took a 1-0 lead, but Krautkremer tied it less than 50 seconds later. It was 1-1 at the end of the first period. Roeker gave Waseca a 2-1 lead and, less than a minute later, Krautkremer made it 3-1. Luverne scored a power play goal and it was 3-2 after two periods.

The final period was fierce. Preston Miller cashed in on the power play five minutes in, with Kratukremer completing the hat trick with a goal off a breakaway shortly after to make it 5-2. Luverne threatened to tie the game with Brady and Blaik Bork getting two goals within two minutes of each other. An attempt by the Cardinals to get a game-tying score with an extra attacker was unsuccessful.

Martens blocked 55 of 59 shots for a .932 save percentage.

The Bluejays, 6-3 in the Big South and 7-7 overall, travel to Windom following Friday and are at Red Wing Saturday.