Bossert’s two-goal performance lifts South-Shanley over West Fargo

WEST FARGO – With West Fargo and Fargo South-Shanley close in the East Region boys hockey standings and the end of the season approaching, Saturday’s game had big implications.
Fargo South-Shanley scored the first two goals and rolled to a 4-1 victory.
The loss moves West Fargo (6-7-2, 4-4-2 East Region) down to fourth place in the standings, and the Bruins (8-6-0, 6-3-0) take over third place.
The Bruins avenged a Jan. 10 4-3 loss to the Packers at home.
“I would say revenge was a part of it,” said Fargo South-Shanley coach Wade Storey. “We needed the points to get a step up on them.”
Senior forward Tyler Bossert, who scored two goals in the game, said his team had more motivation to beat the Packers on the road because of the close loss a few weeks ago.
“Especially getting close to the end of the season, it’s nice to get some extra momentum heading into the (East Region and state tournaments),” Bossert said.
Bossert also credited Bruins goalie Benjamin Bryant for closing the door on 34 of 35 shots for the crucial win.
West Fargo co-head coach Troy Miller said his team needs to score. The Packers outshot the Bruins 35-25 but were only able to capitalize once.
“We just need to get pucks in the net, especially in this game, and we just didn’t get any lucky bounces,” Miller said.
In the first period, the Packers failed to produce a goal during a five-minute boarding penalty against Fargo South-Shanley’s Riley Fisher.
Later in the first period, seconds after the Bruins killed a West Fargo power-play opportunity, Fargo South-Shanley’s Bossert took immediate advantage and scored the first goal of the game 15 minutes, 33 seconds into the first period.
The Bruins carried their momentum into the second period and got some help from Packers junior Brendan Klug, who picked up two penalties within a few minutes of each other.
The Bruins didn’t capitalize on the first power-play opportunity, but Klug’s second penalty for kneeing cost the Packers.
Fargo South-Shanley went up 2-0 12:49 into the second period with an unassisted power-play goal from Andrew Myer.
About one minute later, Packers forward Riley Vareberg cashed in an opportunity of his own. He fired a shot from about 12 feet away and hit the inside of the post and the puck immediately bounced out. The referees ruled it a goal, and West Fargo cut the Bruins’ lead in half with 3:08 left in the second period.
The third period was more bad news for the Packers after they surrendered a shorthanded goal to Patrick Traynor 11:33 into the period. The goal was not without controversy, though. Several Packers players and coaches contested the Bruins made a hand pass. The goal stood, though.
Bossert scored the Bruins’ fourth goal on an empty net with about one minute left in the game.
The Packers travel to take on the East Region’s first-place team – Grand Forks Central (12-3-1, 8-0-1) – on Tuesday.
FIRST PERIOD: 1, FS-S, Bossert (Traynor), 15:33.
SECOND PERIOD: 2, FS-S, Myer 12:49 (pp). 3, WF, Vareberg (Sandoval), 13:52.
THIRD PERIOD: 4, FS-S, Traynor (Sande), 11:23 (sh). 5, FS-S, Bossert, 16:01, (en).
SAVES: WF, Turner 7-8-7–22. FS-S, Bryan 13-11-10–34.