Blue Jays Edge Minot Out of Top Spot in West

Brooks Roaldson was not expecting to get jumped Friday night, but that's what happens when you win a hockey game for the Jamestown Blue Jays.

The Jamestown High School boys hockey team managed to outlast Minot 5-4 following a fourround shootout at Wilson Arena. The Blue Jays are currently one point better than the Magicians for the top spot in the West Region standings following the victory, with Jamestown at 7-1-1-1 and Minot at 6-0-2-1.

The Blue Jays are slated to host Dickinson at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

"I was just glad that I didn't miss," said Roaldson, who buried the game-winning shootout goal. "I knew that their goalie was being a little bit aggressive, so I knew I needed to skate in there hard, make a move, make him commit and whatever happens I had to react to that and bury the puck."

The Blue Jay bench swarmed Roaldson after he clinched the win with the sneak move on Minot's netminder Tre Sortland. Roaldson's sealer followed a Jace Thompson make and saves made on teammates Nolan Nenow and Hunter Nelson.

It was a crazy 12 minutes that led to the JHS sophomore teeing up his shot

After Minot called a timeout with 57 seconds left in regulation, JHS sophomore Nolan Nenow joined Hunter Nelson in the box after being called for hooking, leaving the Jays to go 3-on-5. Thompson anchored a line that managed to hold off the five-powerful Minot forwards to force an eight-minute, scoreless extension.

Each team scored a goal in the first round of the shootout and missed in the second and third rounds.

"It's important to get the first goal I think," Stockert said. "I think that changes the mojo along the bench especially after they turn around and score their first goal."

Thompson's shootout goal may not have counted in the stat sheet, but the senior's line was responsible for two of the Jays' first three goals of the night. Thompson is leading the Jays with 23 points off 11 goals and 12 assists. Nenow is right behind Thompson in total points with 13 goals and nine assists for 22 points.

After Thompson drilled his pair of goals to make it 3-1 Blue Jays, the Magicians responded with another goal from senior Aiden Morelli and Isaiah Thongphet to make things even headed into the third period.

Minot ended up taking the lead early in the third period when Jayden Luck found the mesh to make it 4-3 Minot. After the Magicians collected a penalty, Thompson and his teammates kept the pressure high around the Magicians' goal. Nelson capitalized on the powerplay and sent the puck to the back of the net off another assist from Thompson.

"They made us work for it," Stockert said. "You play to win the game and that's what we did tonight."

Brode Hillstrom went to work for the Jays, making three saves in the shootout with a quick move of his leg and glove to deflect the puck. Hillstrom, a first-year varsity netminder, recorded 46 saves off 50 shots on net. Sortland made 33 saves off of 37 shots. Hillstrom's save percentage now reads 90.8% across the nine games he has played in.

"He played amazing," Roaldson said of Hillstrom's performance. "I have never seen a goalie be that consistent and keep saving them. Even when they had great opportunities he just stood in there head high, chest out and made the saves."

The fans were cheering for Hillstrom all down the stretch.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, only a limited number of spectators have been making it to Wilson Arena to watch the Blue Jays this season. Due to the decreases in case numbers, Jamestown -- and other schools in the West Region -- have begun allowing more fans into the arenas.

Roaldson said he's gotten used to playing without the fans in the stands and said while it's a little bit harder to hear teammates and calls from the bench, it was worth it to have the fans back at John L.

Stockert agreed, saying that the community's enthusiasm made for a fun night on the ice.

"The place was loud, the place was banging, we had rabbits on the ice -- it was just like the good ol' days," Stockert said. Jamestown 5,

Minot 4 MIN 1 2 1 (OT) 0 0 -4

JHS 2 1 1 (OT) 0 2 -5

SCORING

FIRST PERIOD

1. M, Aiden Morelli (Ben Svangstu, Gabriel Thongphet), 8:56; 2. JHS, Nolan Nenow (Gavin Haut), 13:48; 3. JHS, Jace Thompson (Gavin Gerhardt, Nenow), 16:00. SECOND PERIOD

4. JHS, Thompson (Nenow, Gerhardt), 5:14;

5. MIN, Morelli (Svangstu, Jaxon Bradley), 5:47.

6. M, Isaiah Thongphet (G. Thongphet, Jayden Luck) 16:20.

THIRD PERIOD

7. MIN, Luck (Svangstu), 3:59; 8. JHS, Hunter Nelson (Thompson), 6:54.

OT

No scoring

SHOOTOUT Jamestown 2, Minot 1

Goalie saves: JHS, Brode Hillstrom 9-15-175--46. MIN, Tre Sortland 7-10-11-5--33.

Penalties: JHS, 6 for 12 minutes. MIN, 5 for 10 minutes.

Records: Jamestown 7-1-1-1. Minot 6-0-2-1.