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now this is what I call a beatdown...HS hockey game between Moorhead & Monticello

Spuds shoot, score, repeat in 27-0 rout
By Terry Vandrovec
The Forum - 02/25/2004

At least nobody got hurt. Not physically, anyway.

Try though it did to not pulverize the feelings of a "classy" opponent, Moorhead was as gentle as a steamroller Tuesday.

In the most prolific scoring night of their storied boys hockey history, the No. 2-ranked Spuds beat Monticello 27-0 in the Minnesota Class 2A, Section 8 quarterfinals at Moorhead Sports Center.

That's not a misprint -- not the score, not the sport. Nor is this: Moorhead (22-2) outshot the Stars (1-25) 87-3 in a game that ended on running time.

"You try not to run up the score," said Moorhead senior forward Nick Deutz, who had seven points, "but there's only so much you can do."

The only thing the three-time defending section champion Spuds couldn't do, despite making extra passes and trying to set up goals for specific players, was keep the score within reason.

Moorhead's first goal came 45 seconds into the first period -- well before a crowd of about 2,000, which included University of North Dakota coach Dean Blais, had finishing filed in, but after the Spuds student section began chanting "This one's over."

By the 7½-minute mark, senior Nolan Oliver had a hat trick, and the Spuds had their fourth goal in a span of 1 minute, 31 seconds. The lead was double digits (10) by the end of the opening period.

Moorhead added nine scores in the second period to surpass its season high of 13 goals, and eight in the third -- against a running clock. It would have been more if not for the Spuds competitive compassion and the pride of Monticello goalies Jarrid Scheinbien and Andy Gertejansen, who combined for 60 saves.

Every non-goalie scored at least one point for the Spuds, including the first goal of the year for Jeff Holtz.

Eleven players tallied at least four points, led by Mr. Hockey finalist Brian Gifford's eight. Four had hat tricks, including the first of Sean Lofgren's career.

"We always do that and it's good," Moorhead coach Dave Morinville said of the balanced offense. His team has a 78-6 scoring edge at home heading into a 7 p.m. Saturday semifinal against Roseau.

"It's hard. What do you tell a guy when they've got a chance to score? Don't score?"

Goalie Spencer Deutz made sure the Stars, who lost 13-1 at Moorhead in last year's playoffs, didn't score. He made just three saves, all in the first period, but, in a rock-star moment, was the recipient of two pieces of women's undergarments that were thrown on the ice in the third period.

The stoppage in play to clear the clothing from the ice also brought Moorhead's only penalty -- for delay of game.

One penalty, no fights, no injuries. Mission accomplished -- 22 goals is unreal, Gifford said. It is, except, the Spuds broke that with 7 minutes to go, he was told.

Moorhead may not have been keeping score, but it certainly kept scoring.

"Hopefully we're not goaled-out," Morinville said.

"We kind of put on a show for the fans," Nick Deutz said. "Twenty-seven goals? That's not something you see very often. That's a football score for heaven's sake."

FIRST PERIOD: 1, Becker (VandeVelde) :45. 2, Oliver (N. Deutz) 2:35. 3, Oliver (Gifford, Lee) 5:59. 4, Lee 6:07. 6, Henry (C. Johnson, Loos) 7:05. 7, Oliver (Gifford, N. Deutz) 7:30. 8, C. Johnson (Ammerman, Lee) 9:27 (pp). 9, Becker (Oliver) 11:29. 10, Loos (Henry, C. Johnson) 13:26.

SECOND PERIOD: 11, N. Deutz (Gifford) :41 (pp). 12, VandeVelde (T. Johnson) 1:29. 13, Jeff Holtz (Lofgren, Barta) 3:30. 14, Barta (N. Deutz, Gifford) 4:22. 15, Oliver (N. Deutz) 8:17. 16, James Holtz (Lee, Jeff Holtz) 9:55. 17, VandeVelde (Becker, Miller) 11:00. 18, N. Deutz (Loos) 13:46. 19, Henry (C. Johnson, Lee) 14:04.

THIRD PERIOD: 20, Lofgren (Barta, Jeff Holtz) :27 (pp). 21, James Holtz (Jeff Holtz) 1:01. 22, Gifford (Jeff Holtz, Emmerich) 3:25 (pp). 23, Lofgren (Conneran) 10:00. 24, N. Deutz (Gifford) 11:17. 25, Becker (VandeVelde, Miller) 12:08. 26, Gifford (Lofgren, Miller) 15:22. 27, Lofgren (Gifford) 16:27.

SAVES: Monticello, Scheinbien 28-x-x--28, Gertejansen x-15-17--32. Moorhead, S. Deutz 3-0-0--3.