SHAMROCKS SPLIT SHOOTOUT SERIES

The Watertown Shamrocks battled hard but came up just short in a 2-1 shootout loss to the St. Cloud Norsemen on Thursday night. In a tightly contested game, both teams found the back of the net in the second period, with Cam Markham scoring the lone regulation goal for Watertown off a feed from Grant Gardner and Eliott Mikesch. Goaltender Mason Gudridge was stellar once again, turning aside 31 of 32 shots in regulation and overtime to keep the Shamrocks in the fight. Despite being evenly matched in special teams, with both squads going 0-for-3 on the power play, neither team could break the deadlock in overtime, sending the game to a shootout.

In the six-round shootout, Owen Chartier and Ryan Gingher converted for the Shamrocks, but the Norsemen edged ahead with goals from Mason LeBel, Tre Peck, and Tanner Hunt. Watertown registered 31 shots on goal to St. Cloud’s 38 and remained disciplined, matching the Norsemen with 8 penalty minutes each. Despite the loss, the Shamrocks earned a hard-fought point and showed resilience throughout the contest. With the regular season winding down, Watertown will look to build off this gritty performance as they prepare for their next matchup.

WATERTOWN, SD. (Friday, April 4th 2025):

In a thrilling showdown at Prairie Lakes Ice Arena, the Watertown Shamrocks edged out the St. Cloud Norsemen 2-1 in a shootout victory. After trading goals in the first period—Carter Sproule striking for Watertown and Tyler Wishart answering for St. Cloud—both teams locked in defensively, battling through scoreless second, third, and overtime periods. Goaltenders Phileas Lachat and Damian Slavik were outstanding, each turning away 33 of 34 shots in regulation and OT. Lachat, in particular, stood tall in the shootout, denying all three St. Cloud attempts to help seal the win.

The shootout hero for Watertown was Cam Markham, who buried the lone goal to secure the extra point. Markham’s clutch finish earned him First Star honors, while Lachat claimed the Second Star for his stellar performance in net. Sproule, who led the Shamrocks with seven shots and the opening goal, rounded out the stars as Third Star. With this win, Watertown improves their season series against the Norsemen to 2-1-1-1, bouncing back strong after Thursday night’s shootout loss.