The Aberdeen Cougars made an offensive splash on Senior Day.
The Cougar boys skated to an 8-2 victory over Huron Friday night at the Odde Ice Center, scoring multiple times in each period in the process.
Aberdeen scored twice in the first period and three times in both the second and third periods, while allowing just one Huron goal in each of the first two stanzas.
“I thought our puck movement early in the game in the offensive zone was really good,” said Cougars coach Jeremy Backous. “We were connecting on short passes. Our first line with Brady Huff, Devon Fischbach and Lleyton Kleffman, I thought offensively played really well.”
That trio of players accounted for half of Aberdeen’s eight goals, with Huff knocking the puck in twice. Ethan Fergal, AJ Dabney, Lance Siefken and Talan Dutenhoeffer accounted for the remaining four scores.
“It’s awesome to send the boys out with a win,” Backous said. “It’s two points we really need for seeding. It’s a game we needed to win. It wasn’t as clean as I would have liked, especially with Brookings (Saturday). They’re going to bring a whole ‘nother level that we’re going to need to be ready for. It’s nice to get the win.”
As heady as the offensive production was for the Cougars, the defensive stand in the net from senior goal tenders Sam Casper and Tyler Schmit was equally as impressive. Schmit, who played the second half of the game, turned back two different 5-on-3 situations in net.
“I thought he played outstanding,” Backous said of Schmit. “He made some crucial saves when we needed them, especially on those 5-on-3 situations.”
The win was a bit extra sweet for Schmit, who was making his return to varsity action Friday after being sidelined with an injury.
“It’s really special to me,” Schmit said. “I haven’t played a varsity game since the preseason. I was out with a knee injury for three weeks. Definitely a bummer for me, but it was good to come back and work my way back up and get the win on Senior Night.”
Schmit admitted to a few nerves, but said he drew some energy from the crowd during those high-pressure moments in the third period.
“It definitely gives us some confidence,” he said. “It helps when the crowd starts cheering. That definitely gives me a boost of energy.”
Schmit’s eyes are already turned to the future, however, as the Cougars host Brookings this evening.
“It’s in the past now,” he said. “It’s time to focus on the future.”
Huron All-Stars 1 1 0 – 2
Aberdeen Cougars 2 3 3 – 8
First Period: 1, ABD, Lleyton Kleffman (Brady Huff, Devon Fischbach), 4:36; 2, HUR, Jack Pedersen (Grady Bott, Brecken Glanzer), 6:01; 3, ABD, Ethan Fergel (Aiden Posthumus, Levi Little).
Second Period: 4, ABD, Huff (AJ Dabney, Sam Casper), 0:50; 5, HUR, Ethan Busch (Jack Mitchell, Ryder Casper), 3:59; 6, ABD, Dabney (Fischbach), 12:21; 7, ABD, Huff (Fischbach), 15:41.
Third Period: 8, ABD, Fischbach (Huff, Dabney), 13:56; 9, ABD, Lance Siefken (Micah Kranzler, Austin Ericksen), 15:35; 10, ABD, Talan Dutenhoeffer (Jackson Garstecki, Kleffman), 16:50.
Shots on Goal: Huron 21; Aberdeen Cougars 40.
Goalies: Huron, Jack Bales (32 saves); Aberdeen Cougars, Sam Casper, Tyler Schmit.
