On Saturday, November 27th, the Otters traveled to West Fargo to take on the Stampede Bantam B Black. The home team struck early, pulling ahead after 90 seconds of play. Then, Hayden Lappegaard set the stage for the tie-up goal by Parker Thielke. Before close of the period, Drew Johnson would put the Otters in front with an unassisted shot. The second period was all Lappegaard, who would score two goals – the first unassisted, the second aided by Johnson. Heading into the third with a 3-goal deficit, the Stampede turned up the volume on the physical play for a busy set of penalty boxes. But, their one additional goal was not enough to overcome the early lead, and the Otters took the road win, 4-2.
In the second half of the Saturday double-header, Fergus Falls met with the Fargo Angels B1. An earlier meeting in the season saw the Otters win 8-5, and this time would prove to be an even larger victory. First for the visitors, Parker Thielke scored twice in the first period, with assists to Brant Scheuerman on the first and Johnson on the second. In period two, Nolan Wedll met the challenge with two goals of his own: the first was assisted by Johnson and Simon McGovern, the next by Scheuerman for his second of the game. Before the end of the period, Johnson contributed with an unassisted lamp-lighter. Then, Wedll earned a solo biscuit to complete the one-period Hat Trick. In the third, it appeared that the double-header and lean bench began to be a factor, with only 4 Otter shots on goal compared to 16 in the second. But, the defensive trio of Lappegaard, Scheuerman and Riley Anderson held tight, helping goalie Gabe Samuelson to earn his first shutout of the season with 25 saves.
Members of the Otter Bantam B2 team with former Otter, Ben Richter. Not pictured Dre Lopez. PHOTO by VANESSA WHIPPLE
After a busy day on Saturday, the B2’s hosted a Sunday matinee against the Sabres of Sartell. A slow start got the better of the hosts, allowing Sartell to pull ahead early with two goals in the first. Immediately upon return to the ice, the Sabres made it 3-0, but Benett Thielke earned a crucial first goal for the Otters less than a minute later. Then, on the Power Play opportunity, Anderson earned his first goal of the season from defense, cutting the deficit to one. Unfortunately, that is where the scoring would end for the Otters, while the visitors scored one more in the second and two in the third and final period. In a gunslinging affair, Samuelson denied 40 shots on goal for his season high.
The following weekend, the Otters had a light schedule, playing just one travel game against the West Fargo Stampede B Yellow. Counted among the opponents’ roster was a familiar face in a former Otter, Ben Richter. For the fourth game in a row, it was a Thielke to earn goal one, with Parker scoring from Lappegaard and Benett Thielke for the only goal of the first. In all, the AERIE lineup would score 7 goals to the Stampede’s 3. Goal leaders were Parker Thielke with the Hat Trick, Wedll (2), Johnson & Benett Thielke. Earning assists were B. Thielke (2), Scheuerman (2), Lappegaard, Anderson, McGovern, and P. Thielke.
With a 8-3 season record to date, the Otters look to host some tough competition this weekend, facing Moorhead Orange (B1) on Friday and Monticello Saturday.
