Card boys' hockey team sweeps Roseau tournament

• Boys' hockey team skates to victory

Contributed photo The Cardinal boys’ hockey team posed for a photo after they captured championship honors at the Roseau Holiday Classic tournament last week, winning three games, including the championship game over the host Rams.

Talk about it

The Alexandria boys’ hockey team has put together a great stretch of play that has resulted in a seven-game winning streak over the past three weeks.

The Cardinals traveled to Coon Rapids this past Saturday and came away with a 5-1 win. That came after Alexandria traveled to Roseau on December 29-31 and came away with three wins to win the championship at the Roseau Holiday Classic.

Thomas Williams got the Cardinals going against Coon Rapids on Saturday with a short-handed goal. Tyler Iverson and Tyler Resch then added to that lead in the second to give their team a 3-0 advantage going into the third.

Alexandria was not about to let down in the final period, even with the big lead. The Cardinals outshot Coon Rapids 24-2 in the period and added gaols from Tyler Hocum and Mike Sahli to coast to a 5-1 win.

The championship for Alexandria in the Roseau Holiday Classic marks the first time that Roseau has not won their holiday tournament in more than 10 years.

The Cardinals were matched up against the Rams in the championship and came away with a 5-3 win. They got to that point by beating Northfield, 6-1, in the opener and Lake of the Woods, 2-1, in the semifinals.

Marvin Wensman, Casey Vangsness and Matt Hemingway were all named player of the game throughout the three-game tournament. Wensman earned the honor in the Northfield win, Vangsness during the Lake of the Woods victory and Hemingway for his play against Roseau. Hemingway stopped 87-of-92 shots during the tournament.

Vangness scored the game winner against Lake of the Woods in the tightest game of the tournament. Alexandria jumped out to a 4-0 lead over Roseau in the first period of the championship. The Rams fought back with three unanswered goals. The Cardinals added an insurance goal in the third to secure the game and championship.

Williams led what was another balanced attack for the Cardinals all weekend. He racked up seven points over the weekend with four goals and three assists. Resch also had a strong weekend with two goals and four assists, while Vangsness added two goals and two assists.

Alexandria moved to 8-2 on the year with the four wins. The Cardinals took to the raod to take on St. Cloud Tech last night, Tuesday, before returning home for the start of a five-game homestand.

Fergus Falls starts the five-game stretch tomorrow, Thursday. All five opponents on the homestand are Central Lakes Conference foes, concluding with a January 22 game against the undefeated Little Falls Flyers.

GAME STATISTICS

ALEXANDRIA 1 2 2 – 5

COON RAPIDS 0 0 1 – 1

ALEXANDRIA LEADERS – Thomas Williams – 1 goal, 1 assist; Tyler Iverson – 1 goal; Bennett Black – 1 assist; Ross Thompson – 1 assist; Tyler Resch – 1 goal; Casey Vangsness – 1 assist; Tyler Hocum – 1 goal; Cody Rieland – 1 assist; Justin Aaberg – 1 assist; Mike Sahli – 1 goal; Tyler Ostendorf – 1 assist; Mike Canavati – 1 assist

Roseau Holiday Classic

First Round – Alexandria 6, Northfield 1

Second Round – Alexandria 2, Lake of the Woods 1

Championship – Alexandria 5, Roseau 3

ALEXANDRIA LEADERS (All three games) – Thomas Williams – 4 goals, 3 assists; Tyler Resch – 2 goals, 4 assists; Casey Vangsness – 2 goals, 2 assists; Tyler Hocum – 1 goal, 2 assists; Justin Aaberg – 1 goal, 1 assist; Bennett Black – 2 assists; Kirby Nelson – 1 goal, 1 assist; Marvin Wensman – 2 assists; Ross Thompson – 1 assist; Cody Rieland – 1 goal; Tyler Iverson – 1 goal; Aaron Rentschler – 1 assist

GOALTENDING – Matt Hemingway – 87 saves, 5 goals allowed

Tags: boys, hockey, alexandria, cardinals, roseau