Blue Jays Roundup: Lone goal not enough for a hockey win Friday

Jan. 14—BISMARCK — The Blue Jays' momentum was trending in the right direction entering the third period Friday evening — but so was Minot's.

Jamestown High School's boys hockey team dropped 3-1 to Minot to fall to 5-5 in the West Region and 5-6 overall. Head coach Matt Stockert and his squad will be back at Wilson Arena on Tuesday to take on Dickinson. The Jays and Midgets are slated to face off at 7:30 p.m.

"I didn't think it was that bad of a hockey game on our part," Stockert said. "We did a lot more good things than we did bad. I think that if we score on some of the opportunities that we have it might be a different game."

Minot outshot the Jays 17-5 in the opening period but the Blue Jays' defense held steady and kept things knotted up at zero through the first frame.

Trouble was, the Magicians' defense was operating in a similar manner.

"There are good opportunities there," Stockert said. "We just need to find a way to find twine there and put the number up on the board plus one."

Mackley Morelli was the one to put the first number on the board. Morelli, the eighth-best scorer in the state, buried one off an assist from Caelton Eslinger at the 11:49 mark of the second period.

Nate Walz, a sophomore and first-year varsity starter for the Jays, was the one to get the Jays in the scoring books Friday. Walz cruised down the ice and single-handedly netted a goal that tied the game at one apiece.

"When we tie the game, we can't sit back, we've got to continue to push," Stockert said. "Minot made us pay after the tying goal there.

"Collectively, it was a good effort by the boys. They are working their hind ends off and you can't ask for anything more than that. We continue to get a little better every day and that's what it is all about. I think if we continue to do that — these types of games will start to change in our favor."

Minot 3, Jamestown 1

MIN 0 1 2 — 3

JHS 0 0 1 — 1

Scoring

First period

No scoring.

Second period

1. MIN, Mackley Morelli (Caelton Eslinger), 11:49.

Third period

2. JHS, Nate Walz (unassisted), 10:00; 3. MIN, Brock Jones (Eslinger), 10:37; 4. MIN, Eslinger (Jones, Jaxon Bradley), 16:28.

Goalie saves: Minot, Blays Ostron 5-10-9—24; Jamestown, Andrew Walz 17-14-4—35.

Penalties: Minot 2 for 4 minutes; Jamestown 1 for 2 minutes.

There's a first time for everything.

Jan. 13, 2023, was the first time the Blue Jay wrestling team had notched a dual win over Bismarck Century in Bismarck.

Jamestown squeaked by Century to win its second-straight conference dual 34-33. Jamestown is now 2-0 this week, having handily topped Dickinson 52-19 on Thursday evening. Head coach Larry Eslick and his squad are set to conclude the weekend with a pair of duals against Watford City and Williston on Saturday. Jamestown and Watford City are set to square off at 2 p.m. while the dual against Williston is set to be held at 4 p.m.

All matches are slated to be held at Williston High School.

Following the Jays' defeat of Dickinson, Eslick said the team was excited to take on Century for a second time this season.

"It is going to be a good tight dual," Eslick said in an interview in reference to the match-up against Century. "We had a good, tight dual with them earlier in the year with a kind of patchwork lineup so we're putting the pressure on them. They know what we are bringing to town and we're excited to lock horns with them."

Eslick might have known it was going to be a tight race but he probably didn't know just how close things would be.

"When we got there and figured out where we'd be starting it was like, oh that's interesting because the dual started at 138 with potentially two state champions going at it — Aden Braun and Kaden DeCoteau.

"Right away you had a marquee matchup that was worth the price of admission but it didn't happen because they moved DeCoteau up and forfeited to Aden. That was disappointing but when something like that happens you have to be ready with an alternative move."

How Eslick chose to counter Century's move was switching Grady Anderson and Eric Chea and wrestling Chea at 145 pounds and Anderson at 152.

Chea wound up getting pinned by DeCoteau while Anderson outlasted Brayden Morris 4-2.

"It was a good move," Eslick said of the lineup change. "If I would have left them where they were, we could have been looking at two losses potentially but this way — at least we got one win out of it.

"In a dual this tight and intense bonus points or not giving up bonus points — pins, technical falls or major decisions — are key," he said.

Five of the 14 matches were won by decision. Seven were decided by pins — five by the Patriots and two by the Jays. Colton Mewes was the only wrestler to earn a win by a major decision defeating Cole Radenz 10-2, a feat that earned the Jays four points.

Both teams traded punches and shots with often only one point separating the two.

A pair of pins from Century in the 195 and 220-pound matches gave Century a 24-19 lead but a huge pin from Jamestown's heavyweight Dalton Darby and a decision from Jack Schauer, the Jays' starting 106er, gave the Jays a 28-24 lead.

"Those two moments in the dual — the bonus point at 170 and getting an upset win at 106 — were pivotal," Eslick said.

Century's Seamus Kuklok went on to pin AJ Matzke making it 30-28 Century but the Jays won the next two by decision which made it 34-30 heading into the last match.

"We had tie-breaker criteria on Century if Sam (Schlepuetz) at 132 would have lost by a major," Eslick said. "All he had to do was, not get pinned, win or survive and we win the dual based on the tie-breaker."

Schlepuetz wound up going with option No. 3 as he dropped 4-0 to Century's Brody Ferderer.

"In that situation, the loss was a win for the team and the kids understand that," Eslick said. "Sam went out there and did his job — we were hoping for a win but it just didn't happen.

"It truly was a full team effort and a good night of strategy and moves and kids wrestling well that fell in our favor. I am so proud of them and their effort."

Jamestown 34, Century 33

138: Aden Braun (JAM) over (CENT) (For.)

145: Kaden DeCoteau (CENT) over Eric Chea (JAM) (Fall 2:40)

152: Grady Anderson (JAM) over Brayden Morris (CENT) (Dec 4-2)

160: Jax Gums (CENT) over Adyn Eckert (JAM) (Fall 0:34)

170: Colton Mewes (JAM) over Cole Radenz (CENT) (MD 10-2)

182: Jackson Walters (JAM) over Grant Carlson (CENT) (Fall 1:15)

195: Darion Bitz (CENT) over Bo Nelson (JAM) (Fall 1:46)

220: Olav Taylor (CENT) over Ethan Gall (JAM) (Fall 4:37)

285: Dalton Darby (JAM) over Lykken Parlett (CENT) (Fall 0:53)

106: Jack Schauer (JAM) over Grady Iverson (CENT) (Dec 4-3)

113: Seamus Kuklok (CENT) over AJ Matzke (JAM) (Fall 1:03)

120: Lucas Schlepuetz (JAM) over Cole Bohne (CENT) (Dec 5-2)

126: Pete Rasmussen (JAM) over Ethan Kuntz (CENT) (Dec 7-5)

132: Brody Ferderer (CENT) over Sam Schlepuetz (JAM) (Dec 4-0)