Thomas Pfeifer shouted almost as loud as the horns on Thursday night at Wilson Arena.
For good reason.
With 10:21 in the second period in Jamestown High School’s men’s hockey game against Dickinson, Pfeifer capitalized on a pair of passes and sent the puck flying for the first goal of his senior season.
“It’s exciting for him,” JHS head coach Matt Stockert said. “It’s always good to have other goals besides the norm and when you get that you’re honestly a lot harder to beat.”
Although goals haven’t been plentiful for Pfeifer so far this season, his side are having no trouble finding the back of the net.
Pfeifer’s score capped a 7-0 run for the Blue Jays that eventually turned into a 10-0 win for the home side.
The Jays are now 11-2, 12-3 overall and are tied with Minot for first place in the West Region. The Jays and Magicians have 32 points.
It didn’t take long for the bases to start rolling in for the Jays on Thursday night.
With just over four minutes of play, Tyson Jorrisen kicked off the Blue Jays 4-0 first-period scoring streak. Jorrisen gave the Jays the lead by beating Midget goaltender Merik Low with assists from Jarrett Zalumskis and Hunter Nelson.
The assist was Nelson’s 17th of the season and five minutes later the senior captain added another stat to his total for the season.
Nelson caught a pass from Brooks Roaldson to score his ninth goal of the season. He also delivered his next shift by sending a shot that deflected off Low’s stick and settled into the left corner of the net.
Dickinson just couldn’t seem to find traction and a five-minute middle finger on Dawson Frank for head contact did them no favors, putting them down a man against a ruthless Blue Jay score.
Zach Lunde joined in the scoring fun for the Blue Jays 30 seconds after Nelson’s second goal was scored. The Jays started the break in the first period 4-0.
The score moved to 5-0 with 51 seconds left in the second when Joe Cummings netted the eighth goal of his senior campaign.
The Jays currently lead the West Region in goals scored with 76, which places them in the top four in the state. Grand Forks Red River, Fargo Davies and Fargo North are the only other teams in the state to score more.
Nenow extended the Jays’ run to six with a perfectly lined up shot from center ice. Nenow currently leads the entire state with 20 goals and 20 assists for 40 total points.
The second, third and fourth leading scorers are all from Fargo North – the team that happens to be the Jays’ next competition. The Spartans are scheduled to face the Blue Jays Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Wilson Arena.
“Our attack has been good this season,” Stockert said. “When you get that other score from the non-normal players, it’s always a good thing and it boosts your totals.”
While the Jays do a solid job of scoring against their opponents, the stat Stockert is always happy to see is one that reads “no goals allowed.”
“We’re doing a good job in Zone D and when we’re in the top five in the state for dropouts, that makes me smile a little bit,” Stockert said. “That means we come back and when we come back we try to put things in place and make the right decisions.”
Dickinson turned aggressive midway through the second, racking up a pair of minors, putting them at a disadvantage late in the second.
The speed of the remaining Midgets was there, but the team proved unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities. The Midgets came out empty from the Jays’ last scoring game of the second, defenseless against Zach Lunde’s ball inside.
Stockert’s side remained disciplined throughout the final period, with Jorrisen scoring the team’s tenth goal five seconds before the final horn blew.
“It’s always good to play in front of your home crowd, that’s for sure,” Stockert said. “We played a very good hockey game tonight, that’s for sure.”
Jamestown 10, Dickinson 0
DHS 0 0 0 — 0
JHS 4 4 2 — 10
Rating
First half: 1. JHS, Tyson Jorissen (Jarrett Zalumskis, Hunter Nelson), 4:19; 2. Nelson (Brooks Roaldson), 9:13; 3. Nelson (Roaldson, Joe Cummings), 12:54; 4. JHS, Zach Lunde (Michael Mahoney, Max Mehus), 13:21.
Second period: 5. JHS, Joe Cummings (Nolan Nenow, Braxton Jorrisen), 0:51; 6.JHS, Nenow (Conner McLachlan), 2:08; 7. JHS, Thomas Pfeifer (McLachlan, Reagan Sortland), 10:21; 8. JHS, Zach Lunde (Mehus, McLachlan), 15:43.
Third period: 9. JHS, Roaldson (McLachlan), 6:41; 10. Jorrisen (unassisted), 4:55 p.m.
Goalkeeper saves: DHS, Merik Low, 15-6-x—21; Haven of Zander x-2-7—9; JHS, Brode Hillström 6-10-5—21
Penalties: DHS 4 for 11 minutes; JHS 4 for 8 minutes.