ASHLAND -- Fifteen different players got into the scoring column as the Superior High School boys hockey team defeated the Ashland Oredockers 11-1 Tuesday evening at Bay Area Civic Center.
It was a night of firsts for three Spartans as Luke Darwin, who was playing his first varsity game, scored the first two goals of his career, and Jake Mergen and Joel Broberg scored their first goals of the year.
Taylor Olson also chipped in with two goals and two assists as Superior improved to 12-7-1 overall and 4-4-1 in the Lake Superior Conference.
The Spartans also got tallies from Chris Bishop, Daniel Litchke, Nolan Holcombe and Steven and Gerald Mikel.
Chipping in with assists were Kyle Wilander with three, Kellen McCoshen, Tyler Plunkett, Mergen and G. Mikel with two each, and Richard Mikel, Caleb Dushkin, Litchke and Brett Bukowski, one each.
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The Spartans scored three goals in the first period, five in the second and three in the third.
Tanner Vinson scored unassisted in the third period for Ashland (5-15, 0-7).
Joel Pettingill and Scott Crawford shared goaltending duties for the Spartans, finishing with seven saves. Jake Haukaas and Dylan Hudson were much busier for the Oredockers, stopping 63 shots.
The Spartans wrap up their regular season when they host Duluth Marshall at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
Superior was recently awarded the No. 1 seed in Section 1 of the upcoming WIAA playoffs.
The Spartans will host the winner of the Webster and Baldwin-Woodville game at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18 at Wessman Arena.
If the Spartans win, they will host the winner of River Falls-Amery contest in a sectional semifinal game on Feb. 23. The sectional championship is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 27, also at Wessman Arena.
SPARTAN SPIN: Superior played without leading scorer Mitch Kontny, who suffered a leg injury in Friday's game at Crookston, Minn.. Kontny saw a doctor on Monday and his status for the remainder of the season is currently unknown. ... Saturday's game may be heard locally on WNXR 107.3 FM. It will also be televised on My 9 TV with Tom Hansen providing the play-by-play. ... Saturday's junior varsity game has been moved up to 12:15 p.m. because of Senior Day. Superior's eight seniors, Pettingill, Mergen, Andrew Bronson, Bishop, McCoshen, Wilander, Kontny and Plunkett will be honored prior to the game. ... Each team had one minor penalty and was 0-for-1 on the power play.
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Superior 3 5 3 -- 11
Ashland 0 0 1 -- 1
First Period: 1. SHS, Mergen 1, 1:06; 2. SHS, Broberg 1 (McCoshen 11, Plunkett 10); 3. SHS, Olson 4 (Mergen 3, Plunkett 11).
Second Period: 4. SHS, Bishop 6 (G. Mikel 5, R. Mikel 2) 6:31; 5. SHS, Darwin 1 (Wilander 3, Olson 2) 7:33; 6. SHS, Darwin 2 (Wilander 4, Olson 3) 12:23; 7. SHS, Litchke 8 (McCoshen 12) 15:25; 8. SHS, Holcombe 10 (Dushkin 7, Litchke 5) 15:41.
Third Period: 9. Ashland, Vinson (unassisted) 4:42; 10. SHS, Olson 5 (Bukowski 1, Wilander 5) 10:32; 11. SHS, S. Mikel 3 (G. Mikel 6, Mergen 4) 13: 43; 12. SHS, G. Mikel 2, 15:25.
Saves: A: Haukaas 22-15-x-37, Hudson x-x-26-26; S: Pettingill 1-3-x-4, Crawford x-1-2-3.
Penalties: Ashland 1 for 2 minutes, Superior 1 for 2 minutes.
Power Plays: Ashland 0-for-1, Superior 0-for-1.
