WATERTOWN,SD. (Friday, February 14th, 2025):
The Watertown Shamrocks fought hard but came up short in a 4-1 loss to the Aberdeen Wings on Friday night at Prairie Lakes Ice Arena. After a scoreless opening 10 minutes, Aberdeen struck first and carried a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. The Shamrocks had their chances, matching the Wings with 33 shots on goal, but Aberdeen’s goaltender, Damon Cunningham, stood tall in net. Special teams played a role, as both teams converted once on the power play, but Watertown couldn’t capitalize on additional opportunities to close the gap.
Cam Markham provided the lone goal for the Shamrocks in the third period, assisted by Carter Sproule and Dmitrijs Dilevka, but Aberdeen responded quickly to maintain control. Despite a strong push late, Watertown couldn’t overcome the early deficit. Goaltender Phileas Lachat made 31 saves in the effort.
ABERDEEN,SD. (Saturday, February 15th, 2025):
The Watertown Shamrocks fell just short in a heated battle against the Aberdeen Wings, losing 5-4 on Saturday night at Odde Ice Center. Carter Sproule made franchise history notching the first ever short-handed goal, putting the Shamrocks on the board. Despite trailing 3-1 heading into the third period, the Shamrocks mounted a late comeback with three goals in the final frame, including another from Sproule and one each for Zach Boren and Dilevka. However, Aberdeen answered with two of their own to hold on for the win. Goaltender Phileas Lachat made 18 saves before being replaced by Mason Gudridge, while Aberdeen’s netminders combined for 18 saves to secure the victory.
The game was marked by intense physicality, with a number of fights leading to multiple game misconducts for both parties. The battles highlighted the heated nature of the contest and solidified the in-state rivalry. Despite the loss, Watertown’s late surge showed resilience, and they’ll look to carry that momentum into their next home game series as they take on the Minot Minotauros February 21st and 22nd.