Alex boys' hockey: Brainerd peppers Cardinals in 7-4 win

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The Alexandria boys’ hockey team couldn’t overcome a flurry of goals by Brainerd in the third period as the Cardinals fell to the Warriors for the second time this season in a 7-4 game last Thursday night.

The Cardinals fought until the end after a five-minute major for head contact on Brainerd gave Alexandria an extended man advantage. Brady Bast and Tom Schmidt took advantage as Bast scored his first varsity goal before Schmidt got his second of the night to make it a three-goal game. That’s as close as the Cardinals could get against the top team in the Central Lakes Conference.

The final score doesn’t indicate how close things were through two periods. Alexandria led 1-0 after the first behind a goal by Jack Wensman off assists from Jordan Domine and Schmidt. Brainerd responded with three straight in the second period.

“In the third, Brainerd took a tripping penalty we believed should have been boarding,” Alexandria head coach Scott Woods said. “Under the new rules it would have been a five-minute power play.”

Instead, the Cardinals had to settle for the minor. Wensman made the Warriors pay with his second goal of the night to make it 3-2 on the power play. Thirty-five seconds later, Brainerd’s Mitch McLain got that goal back. That would serve as a turning point as the Warriors added three more over the next five minutes to break the game open.

Matt Pohlkamp didn’t score but had four assists on the night. With that, the senior right wing became the second-leading scorer in the school’s history. Wensman, Garrett Skinner, Schmidt and Domine all had two points each for Alexandria.

GAME SUMMARY

ALEXANDRIA 1 0 3 – 4

BRAINERD 0 3 4 – 7

SCORING – FIRST PERIOD – Alexandria – Jack Wensman (Jordan Domine, Tom Schmidt), 9:19

SECOND PERIOD – Brainerd – Logan Rivard (Cole Smith, Chris Pohlkamp), 5:16; Brainerd – Cole Smith (PPG) (Matt Pohlkamp, Mitchell McLain), 9:30; Brainerd – Reno Fussy (Mitch McLain, Jake Ellingson), 13:31

THIRD PERIOD – Alexandria – Jack Wensman (PPG) (Garrett Skinner, Jordan Domine), 4:11; Brainerd – McLain (Aaron Rich, Pohlkamp), 4:46; Brainerd – Rich (Jed Rusk, Thomas Stoxen), 7:02; Brainerd – Rich (Pohlkamp, McLain), 7:38; Brainerd – McLain (PPG) (Rich, Pohlkamp), 9:51; Alexandria – Brady Bast (PPG) (Andrew Rentschler, Brock Wood), 10:19; Alexandria – Schmidt (PPG) (Garrett Skinner), 13:16

GOALTENDING – Alexandria – Ben Allen – L, 35 saves, 42 shots

Tags: alexandria sports, sports, cardinal, boys, hockey