Fargo Shanley boys hockey coach Mark Pivetz liked what he saw Friday.
After an inconsistent first period, his Deacons exploded for three goals in the second period en route to a 4-1 victory over Jamestown in Eastern Dakota Conference action at the Moorhead Sports Center.
"The guys just battle and compete," Pivetz said. "That's all we ask for."
School cancellations earlier this week left the Deacons with only one day to prepare for the game, and Pivetz thinks Shanley came out shaky.
It was Jordan Weir who took the Deacons out of their slump.
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Less than two minutes after having a goal erased because he knocked the net off its moorings, Weir won a penalty face off and quickly scored the Deacons' first goal.
"(There was) not a lot of energy in the first," Weir said. "Something changed in the second."
Deacons forward Marc Harrie added a shorthanded goal on a breakaway with 3:27 left in the period to give Shanley a 2-0 lead.
But the Blue Jays didn't go away. Brett Ritchie fired back with an unassisted goal 19 seconds later to halve the lead.
Joey Kramer added a goal with 2:24 left in the second period to give the Deacons a3-1 lead.
"We're doing the right things," Pivetz said. "We're creating breaks for ourselves."
Will Dietzler, who assisted on Kramer's goal, threw the door shut on Jamestown in the third period with a goal off a rebound.
"Shanley plays hard," Jamestown coach Matt Stockert said. "We had our chances to score plenty of times."
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Bob Traynor, who took over as the Deacons' starting goalie this season, stopped 26 shots on net.
"He's been the bright spot for us this year," Pivetz said. "He's really done well. I tip my hat to him."
The Deacons improved to 2-1 with the win. It's the best start Shanley has had since the school restarted its hockey program four years ago.
"I think it's a pretty good start," Traynor said. "It's been a while since we've beat Jamestown."
FIRST PERIOD: No scoring.
SECOND PERIOD: 1, FS, Weir 9:09. 2, FS, Harrie (C. Traynor) 13:34 (sh). 3, JHS, Ritchie 13:55. 4, FS, Kramer (Dietzler, Thomas) 14:36.
THIRD PERIOD: 5, FS, Dietzler (Weir, Thomas) 10:29 (pp).
SAVES: Jamestown, Enderle 5-13-9-27. Shanley, B. Traynor 7-12-7-26.
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Readers can reach Forum reporter Dustin Monke at (701) 241-5504
