“We were just trying to get as many pucks as we could to the net, crash the net for some rebounds, and get some good opportunities out of that,” Marshall head coach Michael Weiss said. “They [Willmar] play really well in their own zones. They played good structure, and they’re tough to get around, so they blocked a lot of shots and that helped them as well. So, you got to give them credit.”

Returning to the Red Baron was a homecoming for Willmar senior forward and MACCRAY student Blake Grimsley, who previously played for Marshall, but since moved over to Willmar as MACCRAY recently joined a co-op with the Cardinals’ program for boys hockey. Grimsley finished with 4 points between two goals and a pair of assists

“It was good to see him [Grimsley]. He’s a good kid,” Weiss said regarding seeing his former player. “We definitely miss having him, and it’s good to see him having some success.”

Dylan Steilen scored the Tigers’ goal on even strength in the final minute and a half of the game, with assists from Brenden Price and Easton Greenwood.

Former Marshall boys hockey player Blake Grimsley (11) makes a pass for Willmar Tuesday night in the second period.

Willmar continued to take advantage on both ends of the rink while making a habit to limit Marshall’s offensive looks, bursting to a 3-0 lead in the first period and kept its lead the rest of the way.

Willmar finished with 33 shots to Marshall’s 13. Senior goalie McCoy Guenther spent the night in the net for the Tigers, finishing with 28 saves for an .848 save percentage on the night.

“There really wasn’t any quit. We kept playing until the end, and we got a few guys in that don’t normally go in,” Weiss said of the night’s positives. “They brought some good energy to us, and that was good to see.”

Willmar took control early with a trio of goals in the opening period, the final two of which were scored back-to-back within six seconds of one another.

The Cardinals got on the board to start the game in the fourth minute, with Grimsley scoring the third goal unassisted on even strength to put the Cardinals ahead 3-0.

Marshall junior defender Dylan Steilen looks to take possession of the puck back against Willmar in the first period on Tuesday. Steilen had the Tigers' lone goal of the night in a 5-1 loss. 

Willmar had 13 shots in the first, and held the Tigers to four, and did just the same in the second period.

Grimsley scored another goal in the fifth minute of the second period to pad Willmar’s lead.

Marshall’s Nate Drown and Carson Kopitski had a string of good looks and close calls to get the Tigers on the board, yet Marshall couldn’t quite get past Willmar’s Eli Ewert in the net.

Despite the offensive challenges, the Tigers showed some intensity on the defensive end and stole the puck back from the Cardinals on a handful of occasions.

“We were a little shaky in the D-zone. We got some things we need to fix there,” Weiss said of the team’s defensive performance. “But, overall as night went on, we got better and better. We just got to start a little bit better in that end.”

Willmar put the dagger on the win with a final goal on a power play in the first minute and a half in the third period, with Steilen’s goal to take place at 15:42 as the game came to a close.

Marshall’s Riley Pfannschmidt was assessed a major penalty in the waning seconds of the second period for cross-checking and misconduct that played into the third period. Both Marshall and Willmar finished with four total penalties, yet the Tigers’ penalties totaled 19 minutes to Willmar’s eight.

Guenther has had a strong start to the season in the net, serving as goalie each of the seven games so far with 240 saves on an .883 save percentage following Tuesday’s game. Impressively, he had 71 saves on Dec. 4 against Luverne in Marshall’s 3-0 loss.

Marshall (1-6) will next look to turn things around and remain at home for the week, hosting Minnesota River (2-4) for a Big South Conference matchup on Saturday at the Red Baron Arena with a 1 p.m. puck drop.

“We just got to keep getting better each day,” Weiss said. “Learning from our mistakes and just keep improving each time we hit the ice.”