Blaine and Tartan top bantams played Wednesday night at the Tartan Rink in Oakdale just east of St. Paul.  Blaine is a District 10 team; Tartan is a District 2 team.  Both teams play a “East St. Paul” style of hockey, but after tonight’s game both teams should have heard Herb Brook’s voice saying “skate again”.

Tartan formed their team in early October and has played 14 games in the past 7 weeks; Blaine was formed also in early October, but has played only four games including last nights in the same 7 weeks.  Tartan has gone 7-5-2 and is 1-1 in District 2 beating Highland 3-1 and losing to a surprising Mounds View 6-1.  Blaine tied Lakeville South 6-6 in a game before Halloween, lost to St. Michael/Albertville 4-3 and beat St. Cloud 7-1.

Blaine applied some pressure in the first minute of the opening period.  The Bengals were successful working the puck low into the Tartan zone, but could not position to get that “good shot”.  Tartan struggled to try and mount a counter attack, but had difficulty in the neutral ice.  Both teams were plagued by simple errors resulting in multiple stoppages.  The game pace was slowed as a result.

Two minutes into the period, Blaine caught a break and turned it into a score.  A Tartan defenseman in attempting to check Blaine’s Alexander Penn in the slot in front of the Tartan net lost his stick.  In that same instant, he relaxed and Penn broke into the slot for a solo rush on the net.  The Bengal forward went right and tried to beat the goalie on a backhand shot.

The goalie made a leg save and the puck bounded loose on the left side.  Penn followed the puck to the end boards and flipped the puck out to the left side crease are where Bengal Hunter Warmuth was waiting.  Warmuth went for the shot just as line mate, Mason Landborg, joined the fray.  The two tried to punch the puck through the goalie.  The puck rolled through into the right side crease behind the Tartan goalie.

It suddenly became a race between Warmuth and the stickless defenseman with the defenseman trying to check the Bengal out of the crease.  Warmuth won.  He popped the puck over the sprawling goalie’s attempted save.  Landborg and Penn got the assists.

Blaine led 1-0.  The Bengals earned that first goal by taking the advantage and never letting up.

The play became ragged after that score.  Both teams continued to make small errors that created stoppages.  At the 9 minute mark, Blaine started to assert itself.  It resulted in Tartan’s goalie Julius Huset having to make two big saves on close-in shots.

Play heated up after that.  Both teams started to skate and the best hockey of the game was played.  Tartan started to gain the advantage, putting more pressure on Blaine in the Blaine zone.  It resulted in a Blaine penalty at the 6 minute mark.  Tartan set up in the Blaine zone and worked the power play well, moving the puck and pressuring the goal.  But the Titans couldn’t score.  It turned out to be the best power play by either team in the game.  The Bengals managed only one feeble clearing of the puck in the two minutes.

Tartan continued the pressure after the penalty had ended.  With less than two minutes on the clock, the Titans tied the score.  Tartan’s Connor Brass took a pass out of the Bengals right corner at the blue line and fired off a quick shot on the net beating the Blaine goalie to tie the score 1-1.  Dan Betz got the assist.

With 30 seconds left in the period, a Titan defenseman gambled by pinching along the boards halfway into the Blaine zone on a breakout.  He lost the gamble and drew a rough penalty slowing the Bengal attack before it could get going.  The first period ended in a 1-1 tie.

The Titans opened the second period by killing their penalty.  For the next eight minutes, some great hockey was played.  Both teams played a rough physical style.  Tartan had the better of the play and the Bengals forwards played well, especially moving the puck through the neutral zone.
At the 6 minute mark, the game changed.

Blaine took a checking from behind penalty and an automatic 5 minute major and a 10 minute misconduct.  Tartan had the power play advantage for the full 5 minutes.  The Titans did nothing with the puck in those five minutes.  They slowed their play and as a result lost the man advantage.  It was 5 minutes of boring hockey.  They only spark on the Titan power play was the play of Tartan defenseman Jared Vejtruba.  Vejtruba was successful in moving the puck low against the Bengal penalty kill and establishing puck control.

With less than two minutes left in the second period, the Titans drew a 5 minute major for boarding.  The Bengals were on the power play as the second period ended in a 1-1 tie.

The Bengals had over 4 minutes left on the major penalty as the third period started.  The Blaine power play was no more effective than Tartan’s.  The Bengal’s couldn’t hold the Titans in the Titans’ zone.  With 14 seconds left in the major penalty, Blaine drew a penalty.

Tartan power play went nowhere.  The game continued be a dump and chase affair.  Just after Blaine killed the penalty, Tartan drew another penalty at the 8 minute mark putting Blaine on the power play.  The Bengal’s power play had not improved, the game remained a dump and chase affair.

At the five minute mark, the Titans drew a holding penalty and the Bengal’s power play continued to sputter, unable to hold the zone and unable to get a shot on net.  Finally, the two full teams were on the ice at the three minute mark.

It was Blaine that took advantage.  Pressuring the Titans in the Titans’ zone resulted in Blaine’s Grant Boege with the puck in the left slot.  Boege’s shot beat the Titans’ goalie through the 5-hole for the game winner.  Blaine ended the scoring leading 2-1.

Tartan mounted pressure after that goal.  Blaine drew a penalty putting Tartan on their power play.  The Titans still could not get their power play going.  Blaine won 2-1.

In a game where a strong power play by one team or the other would have won the game, neither team could score.  All the scoring came in 5 on 5 situations.  Both teams played some good hockey when at full strength, both teams’ game suffered when on the power play.  It is the early season for the Titans and it is still an even earlier season for Blaine.