by Tessa Deemer
WATERTOWN, SD. (November 15-16th, 2024) – The Watertown Shamrocks move to 3-13-2-1 after a home-and-home series against the St. Cloud Norseman, who now stand at 11-5-1-2. Conference standings remain the same for both teams after the weekend.
Game 1 – November 15th, 2024:
The Shamrocks came out hard in the first period protecting new goaltender Phileas Lachat from the Norsemen’s 12 shots. Another new addition, Spencer Sasenbury drew a tripping call at 8:23, as the Shamrocks held up on the kill. On the other end, St. Cloud’s Bronson Hunt was called for boarding at 13:08, and then another penalty at 16:48 after a tripping call on Martins Klaucans. Near the end of the Klaucans minor, Carter Sproule sent one in between the pipes to take the lead at 18:27 in his first game as a Shamrock. Just seconds later, the Shamrocks closed the period with a tripping call on Noah Sergott.
Going into the second period, the Norsemen sought out their vengeance, but the Shamrocks answered with a bang, with another goal from Carter Sproule with the help of Jack McMinn just midway through the period. Minutes later, within the same second the Norsemen found the back of the net from Tanner Hunt as William Shepherd was called for high-sticking to make it a 2-1 game. The Shamrocks clapped back with a goal from Ryan Whiterabbit just 13 seconds later to restore their two goal lead and head to the third period up 3-1.
The third period was off to a steady start as Travis Lefere sealed the deal with a goal just over five minutes in to make it 4-1. Moments later, Shamrocks Head Coach Casey Kirley was called for unsportsmanlike behavior at 6:52, after a Norsemen goal from Taylor Wishart that was under review to see if the puck actually crossed the goal line. Wishart’s third of the season made it a 4-2 game and that score held to the final buzzer as the Shamrocks picked up their first win in franchise history on home ice.
Shamrock goaltender Phileas Lachat saved 24 of 26 shots in his Watertown debut. For the Norsemen, Beck Linden saved 24 of 28 shots.
Game 2 – November 16th, 2024
The first period was short and sweet as neither team was able to take the lead. The Shamrocks led shots 9-6. The Norsemen only made efforts in the box, recording a tripping penalty from Bronson Hunt at 6:25 that the Shamrocks were unable to take advantage of.
Opening the second, the Shamrocks started a march to the penalty box. Noah Sergott was served two-minutes for kneeing at just 1:49. Minutes later the Norsemen were first to tally the score with a goal from Hunt at the 4:39 mark. The Shamrocks slipped up after a tripping call from Eliott Mikesch at 8:20 and a hooking call on Holden Carter at 13:47. Unable to kill the second penalty, the Shamrocks fell behind 2-0 at 14:01 on a goal from St. Cloud’s newly acquired Mason Lebel. The Norsemen found their way back to the box after Wyatt Farrell was called for checking from behind at 14:31. The Shamrocks locked in to make a comeback with a late goal from Owen Chartier. The score at the end of the second was a close 2-1.
In the third period the Norsemen began to extend their lead to 3-1 with a goal from Tim Runtso at 6:42. Needing to find a pair of goals to tie the game late, Holden Carter and Kody Moyer both found the back of the net in the final five minutes of the third period to force overtime tied at 3-3.
Going into overtime, the Shamrocks faced a setback as Owen Chartier was called for tripping at 2:42. The Norsemen took full advantage of the powerplay opportunity as Runtso scored the game-winning goal at 3:49 for a 4-3 Norseman win in overtime.
Lachat recorded a total of 26 saves out of 30 shots after overtime, while Norsemen goaltender Connor Roff saved 21 of 24 shots overall.
The Shamrocks will head to Riverside Arena in Austin, MN. to faceoff against the Austin Bruins on November 22nd at 7:05 pm CST and on November 23rd at 7:05 pm CST. Both games can be found on NAHL.tv or listened to live on Star 98.1.