Sports
Stars ready for state after two more shut outs
Tyler Ohmann
02/25/2014
Two home shutouts this past weekend gave the Bottineau Stars 19U team five straight shut outs, and plenty of momentum heading into this weekends state tournament.
“I think it really gives us momentum going into the state tournament,” said senior defense Bailey Neubauer. “It really pushes us to play harder in the first game, so we can get into the championship bracket.”
The Stars topped Langdon 6-0 on Friday night, and then beat Hazen-Beulah 3-0 on Saturday to keep their shut out streak going.
Neubauer and the defense played a big part in the streak, as well as the 15 total shut outs that the Stars have earned this season.
“We really improved a lot with defense, and keeping out of the zone,” Neubauer said. “We’re just trying to control the puck more as we get to state.”
On Friday night junior Erin Severson had her strongest night of the season to help the Stars cruise past the Langdon Blades 6-0.
Severson netted a hat trick, including the first goal in the second period for the Stars. She added a pair of goals in the third period to complete the hat trick. Severson also had an assist to get a four-point game.
Her assist came on the second goal of the game for Bottineau, a Karlee McCloud goal. McCloud also assisted on two of Severson’s goals, and Alexis Kihle assisted on the first of the Severson goals as well.
The fourth Bottineau goal came at 6:31 of the third period as Shelby Pedie netted a goal. Hunter Bennie assisted on the play.
Bennie scored the sixth and final goal on the day for Bottineau.
Pedie and Neubauer earned helpers on the goal.
Bottineau out shot the Blades 61-17, meaning that goaltender Jacie Ceglowski had 17 stops in the shut out win.
On Saturday the stout Stars defense continued in a 3-0 defeat of Hazen-Beulah (HB).
Both teams went scoreless in the opening period. That seemed like it might be the case in the second as well, despite the Stars finding the net often.
Kihle finally broke the tie, and got the puck past HB netminder Karlee Schmitt on a rebound. Severson and Sonja Gilje were credited with assists on the goal.
The Stars would add two more goals in the final period as Megan Olson went top shelf from way back to score the second.
Paige Vad also went up top to beat Schmitt and score an unassisted goal to extend the lead to 3-0.
Schmitt stopped 37-of-40 shots as the Stars out shot HB 40-8. The eight-save shut out for Ceglowski was her 12th of the season.
“It was really nice to go out with win in my last game in the Lumberdome,” Neubauer said.
However, the Stars aren’t taking anything for granted. They open the tournament as the five-seed and will open against Fargo on Friday in Fargo.
“We really just have to prepare in practice, and expect a really hard game,” Neubauer said. “Come out with our best, and not give them any leeway.”
The Stars finished as runners-up last season at the state tournament.