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PREP BOYS HOCKEY: Marshall uses early scoring to take out Redwood Valley

Photo by Jake Przytarski Marshall’s Tristan VanDeVere skates past a Redwood Valley defender during their game on Thursday. The Tigers defeated the Cardinals 9-0.

MARSHALL – Fueled by a five-goal first period, the No. 14 ranked Marshall boys hockey team picked up its sixth consecutive victory on Thursday and their first shutout of the season in a 9-0 rout over Redwood Valley.

Sitting at 7-1 – their best eight game stretch to begin a season since the 2006-2007 campaign – assistant coach Scott Mellenthin is pleased with where the team currently stands and the team chemistry that is being built inside the locker room.

“We’re sitting in a good spot right now,” said Mellenthin. “We’re happy with the way things are progressing. We’re pulling for eachother, they like eachother in the locker room and they take it out on the rink.”

Less than a minute into the game, the Tigers earned their first of five first period goals, and the first of two in the period from defenseman Kaleb Welvaert, who picked a corner and buried a wrist shot to give Marshall a 1-0 lead.

Continuing to pepper the Cardinals goaltender, the Tigers lit the lamp with tallies from Joe Archbold for his fifth goal of the season, followed by the state’s leading goal scorer and point-getter Mason Plante with his 15th of the season to make it 3-0.

Marshall would finish the period with goals from Bryson Whyte and Welvaert’s second to take a commanding 5-0 lead into the second period.

On the penalty kill in the opening minutes of the second, the Tigers picked up their second shorthanded goal in as many games as Bryson Whyte buried his second of the night.

Mellenthin came away highly pleased by the aggressiveness of the penalty killers that helped lead to the goal for Whyte.

“I thought we were aggressive but we were smart at the same time,” said Mellenthin. “(We) did some good things, I think the kill was a little bit more aggressive than it has been.”

Moments later, the Tigers found themselves on the power play after a hit from behind on Plante left him slow to get up. Instead of retaliating, Plante would make them pay on the scoreboard on his next shift with the extra attacker to make it 7-0.

“I think that’s probably one of the more fun things that we’ve seen about Mason, he has toughened up a lot,” said Mellenthin. “He’s learned to take hits and then still make plays. When you’re one of the better players on the rink people are going to come after you and he’s kind of accepted that. He’s learned how to play with it and be tough and take hits, and then make them pay on the scoreboard.”

Before the final horn to mark the end of the second period, Tristan VanDeVere pushed the lead to 8-0 with his fifth goal of the season. VanDeVere would finish the night with three points on a goal and a pair of assists.

With the game in hand and a running clock in place, the Tigers earned their ninth and final goal from Plante for the hat trick for the team’s second power play goal of the game.

The Tigers, who now sit at a perfect 5-0 in conference play, will look to remain unbeaten in the Big South when they hit the road to take on a tough Waseca team on Saturday at 2 p.m. Mellenthin hopes to see the same level of play from his team in the matchup ahead.

“Things are working right now, we just need to keep it rolling,” said Mellenthin. “We’re gonna face some adversity I’m sure on the road but you gotta handle it and get through it the best you can.”

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