WATERTOWN SHAMROCKS (29-20-3-2) vs. ST. CLOUD NORSEMEN (21-28-5-0)
ST. CLOUD MUNICIPAL ATHLETIC COMPLEX | NAHL REGULAR SEASON | GAME #55 | APRIL 2, 2026
The Watertown Shamrocks will travel to play t the St. Cloud Norsmen on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at St. Cloud Municipal Athletic Complex. It will be the Shamrocks’ fifty-fifth regular-season game of the 2025-26 season. This is the final regular-season matchup between these two teams.
THIS SEASON:
So far this season, the Shamrocks have gone 1-2-1 against the Norsemen in their two games.
In the first set of games, the Shamrocks were defeated by the Norsemen in both rinks. On Friday night, the Shamrocks fell short in a 2-3 shootout loss. The Shamrocks started in front, but the Norsemen tied it up late to force overtime, then a shootout. After Owen Chartier’s lone shootout goal, the Norsemen clinched in their third and fifth tries. On Saturday night, Watertown was bested at home 3-7. The Shamrocks went down early in the first period and were unable to climb back.
In the second set of games, the Shamrocks split the series with the Norsemen. On Friday night, the Shamrocks defeated the Norsemen 3-2 in overtime. Neither team scored in the first period, but the Shamrocks scored a short-handed goal to start the second. In the third period, the Shamrocks went up 2-0, but two Norsemen goals sent the game to overtime. Joe Rice had the overtime winner to give the Shamrocks a 3-2 victory. On Saturday night, Watertown fell 2-4 to St. Cloud. After a scoreless first period, the Norsemen struck first, and the second period ended 1-2. A Norsemen goal to start the third and an empty net goal were too much for Owen Chartier’s goal, and the Norsemen took the game 2-4.
In the third set of games, Watertown and St. Cloud split the series yet again. On Friday night, the Shamrocks fell to the Norsemen 2-3 in the shootout. The Norsemen struck in the first period, but ended the second period tied 2-2. The third period and overtime were scoreless, sending the game to a shootout. Owen Chartier and Erick Comstock missed, with the Norsemen scoring in two attempts for the win. On Saturday, the Shamrocks took a 4-1 win in Prairie Lakes Ice Arena. Zach Boren scored on the power play, then Kyle Greene put them up 2-0. In the third, two more Shamrock goals secured them the win.
The fourth meeting between these teams was a single Thursday game, paired with this Thursday’s game. On the first Thursday, the Norsemen took it 2-3 in overtime. The first period was scoreless, with the Shamrocks’ Mason Gudridge stopping all 11 Norsemen shots. The second period ended in a tie, 1-1. The Norsemen got the first goal of the third, and the Shamrocks’ Jordan Gudridge got a goal in the final minute to send it to overtime. St. Cloud got the last goal for the 2-3 win.
WATERTOWN SHAMROCKS:
The Shamrocks will enter this division matchup after splitting a weekend series with the North Iowa Bulls, 3-2 on Friday, and 2-6 on Saturday.
On Friday, Shamrocks’ Antons Macijevskis scored in the first 16 seconds of the first period, but the Bulls tied things up at 1-1. Owen Fask got the only goal of the second period for the 2-1 lead. Kyle Greene scored on the empty net in the last two minutes. The Bulls tried to stage a comeback, but were unsuccessful in the Shamrocks’ 3-2 win. On Saturday, the Bulls jumped out to an early lead, and the Shamrocks could not come back. Three in the first period, one in the second, and two in the third, the Bulls won 2-6.
The Shamrocks have won two of their last five games and currently sit in fourth place in the Central Division.
CLOUD NORSEMEN
The Norsemen will enter this division matchup after sweeping the Aberdeen Wings, 4-3 in overtime on Friday and 5-1 on Saturday.
On Friday, the Wings went up first, but the Norsemen came right back. Two Wings goals and Two Norsemen goals tied this one up to send it to overtime. Christian Nichols scored at 1:22 of overtime to earn the 4-3 win. On Saturday, the Norsemen scored in the first period, but the third period had all the action. Four more Norsemen goals and a Wings goal made it a 5-1 Norsemen victory.
The Norsemen have won four of their last five games and currently sit in sixth place in the Central Division.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
SHAMROCKS:
- Zach Boren currently leads the team with 29 goals and 57 points, and he had one assist last weekend.
- Kyle Greene has 36 points this season. He scored a goal on Friday night and had an assist on Saturday night.
- Owen Chartier has 34 points this season. He scored a goal on Saturday night.
NORSEMEN:
- Sam Crane leads the team with 18 goals, 38 points, and 20 assists. He had a goal on Friday.
- Mate Tardi has 28 points this season. He had two goals and three assists last weekend.
- Christian Nichols has 12 points and had three goals on Friday night.
By Lily Schutzenhofer
Photo by Olvia Sherman