After some frustration in Game 1, the Otters regrouped and returned the next morning to take on the Princeton Tigers.  The scoreboard stayed at goose eggs for nearly the full first period, until Princeton took the lead at the 3 minute mark.  Returning with a one-goal deficit in the second, Fergus Falls placed some great shots on goal but couldn’t quite close the deal.  Then, in the second period, a timely cross-check penalty put the Otters on the man advantage, setting the stage for a Benett Thielke-to-Parker Thielke Power Play Goal.  This would prove to be the fuel the team needed, with the go-ahead goal scored one minute later by Nolan Wedll (assisted by Drew Johnson).  Returning in the third period, Wedll & Johnson again paired up for Fergus goal #3.  Next, unassisted goals were earned by B. Thielke and Dre Lopez.  Then, another pair from the ‘firm of Wedll & Johnson,’ for the Hat Trick+1 and Playmaker+1, respectively.  Finally, at minute two, the Thielke brothers placed the bookend with an absolute clapper from Parker.  Goalie Gabe Samuelson played outstanding in the 8-1 victory, allowing just one goal on 22 shots.

Returning to the ice on Saturday afternoon, the Otters found themselves in hostile territory, as they faced the Sauk Rapids Storm in the association’s ‘Game of the Week’.  One fan commented that the conditions were ‘reminiscent of Lambeau Field on a Monday Night.’  The home team cleared the zero first, to a roaring crowd.  But, Wedll tied things back up 5 minutes later, with assists to Johnson and Riley Anderson. The Storm pulled ahead and then some, with two back-to-back goals in the first.  In the literal last second of the period, Hayden Lappegaard cut the deficit to one with a fantastic shot from the blue line, redirected from Johnson. In the third, the Otters proved why the third period is their period:  P. Thielke earned the tie-up goal from B. Thielke; Wedll brought the Otters back in front on the Power Play, assisted by Johnson and Tonnesson; Minutes later, Karsnia earned insurance goal #1, unassisted; Then, the proverbial nail in the coffin came off the stick of Tonnesson in the final 3 minutes, assisted by Wedll.  Though Sauk Rapids scored a final desperation goal, it wasn’t enough to overcome the third-period flurry, and the Otters weathered the storm of the crowd noise, winning 6-4.

With two wins in pool play, Fergus Falls earned a trip to the third-place game on Sunday, facing a physical Waconia team.  With the opponents scoring in the first 20 seconds of the game, and 3 times more unanswered, it was beginning to look like a blowout.  In the second, Simon McGovern got into great position for a clean-up goal (assisted by Lappegaard.)  Waconia earned one back before the break, and another upon return.  Then, Karsnia caught the defense unaware and scored on a breakaway chance.  With a score of 6-2, Waconia made a few timely mistakes, committing concurrent tripping and hooking penalties.  Knowing it was for all the marbles, coaches Kuhn and Whipple made the decision to stack the deck and pull goalie, for a 6-on-3 advantage.  The gambit was successful, with P. Thielke teeing off Power Play Goal number 1, assisted by Brant Scheuerman.  Despite some great pressure and a few scoring chances, the time would expire on the remainder of the penalty before another goal was scored.  Then, with just 2 minutes remaining, Waconia committed yet another misstep, setting the stage for an unassisted PPG from Scheuerman.  In the final minute of the game, some unfortunate miscommunication caused a line drive to sneak by the defense, resulting in an empty-net goal for Waconia.  Even though the rally came up short, it was an impressive effort against a very aggressive team.  The Otters left it all on the ice, and returned home with a 4th-place finish.  All 11 skaters found their way to the score sheet during the weekend, for a great showing all around.

The 5-2 Eagles AERIE #2339 BB2’s return to action Thanksgiving weekend, traveling Saturday to face West Fargo Black and the Fargo Angels B1, followed by a home match against Sartell on Sunday.