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BEL: St. Cloud's Finest

By Todd Hauch , 08/22/18, 2:15PM CDT

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The Bantam Elite League ventured north(ish) again this weekend, making a stop at St. Cloud State's Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.


Jackson Blake (right) scored four goals over the weekend for the Penguins.

Top Performers

Jimmy Clark, Landen Gunderson, Dylan Godbout, Great Plains 

The trio combined for eight goals and 21 points as Great Plains earned the regular-season title with four wins over the weekend. Great Plains has not lost since the third game of the BEL season and will enter the playoffs with a 10-1 record. 

Damon Furuseth, Zach Stocker, Max Strand, North Stars 

The North Stars halted a three-game losing streak in their final game of the weekend, blanking Team Wisconsin 5-0. Max Strand handed out two assists in the win, while Zach Stocker scored twice. Furuseth finished his weekend with a goal and three assists. 

Max Giblin and Kevin Odlaug, Kings 

In addition to the league's leading scorers in Isaac Howard and Connor Kurth, the Kings have shown depth over the past three weeks. Both Giblin and Odlaug recorded a goal and two assists as the Kings left St. Cloud with a 1-1 record. They will enter the playoffs and the No. 2 seed.

Jackson Blake and Alex Bump, Penguins

Blake was a bright spot for a Penguins team that has gone 1-5 over their past six games. Blake registered a hat-trick in the Pens' 5-3 win over the North Stars (including the game-winner) and finished the weekend with four goals and five points. Bump tallied a pair of goals and an assist in St. Cloud.  

Colton Jamieson, Caden Schimrler, Team Wisconsin 

The boys east of the Mississippi picked up their first win of the BEL season this weekend, downing the Penguins 7-4 on Friday. The first of Jamieson's two-weekend goals came in that game, as did two of Schmirler's three assists. 

Adam Marshall, Sharks 

A 3-2 win over the North Stars was sandwiched between losses to Team North Dakota and Great Plains respectively as the Sharks went 1-2 over the weekend. Marshall scored twice and added an assist, running his season totals to nine goals and 13 points. 

Jaksen Panzer and Jackson Ekblad, Team North Dakota 

Panzer picked up four goals in Team North Dakota's 4-2 win over the Penguins and added two assists in St. Cloud. Ekblad totaled a goal and three assists for North Dakota, a breakout weekend for the forward. Panzer's performance makes him Team North Dakota's leading scorer with 10 goals and 22 points. 

Drew Fisher and Max Nagel, Bruins 

The Bruins picked up two wins in two tries at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, ending a five-game losing streak with victories over Team North Dakota and Team Wisconsin. Fisher, the team's leading scorer with six goals and 13 points earned two goals and two assists in the pair of games, while Nagel notched a goal and four points.  


Christian Manz currently leads the BEL in both goals-against average and save percentage.

Top Goaltenders

Ryan Wallin and Niklas Erickson, Great Plains 

Both Great Plains goaltenders were red-hot over the weekend, rejecting 93 of 101 shots and each going 2-0. Wallin is currently second in the league in both goals-against average (1.78) and save percentage (.930), while Erickson ranks among the leaders in minutes-played with 325.  

Christian Manz, Sharks 

Manz is the goaltender ahead of Wallin both categories, with a GAA of 1.25 and a .963 save percentage. Manz picked up a win over the weekend while stopping 47 of 48 shots faced in three games. 

Trent Wiemken, Team North Dakota

The Iron Netminder played all four games for North Dakota in St. Cloud, going 2-2 and stopping 89 of 98 shots. Wiemken has played 350 minutes between the pipes for North Dakota, posting a record of 6-2. 


Team Wisconsin picked up its first win of the BEL season over the weekend.

Top Games

Team Wisconsin 7, Penguins 3 (Friday)

Team Wisconsin earned its first win of the BEL season and did so in balanced fashion, as seven players scored in the win over the Penguins.

Team North Dakota 4, Penguins 2 (Saturday)

Trailing 2-1 late in the second half, Team North Dakota's leading scorer Jaksen Panzer ripped off three straight goals in the final 2:51 of regulation to lift North Dakota to victory. 

Kings 6, Team North Dakota 5 (Sunday)

The Kings scored four times in the final 14 minutes of the second half to complete a thrilling comeback victory over Team North Dakota. Down 4-2, August Falloon and Kevin Odlaug tied the game for the Kings, only to have momentum swiped right back by Team North Dakota's Cole Spicer. Behind now 5-4, Hogan Sinjem tied the game with just 1:33 to play, setting the stage for Max Giblin to score the game-winner with just 38 seconds remaining in regulation. 


Jaksen Panzer scored three times in the final 2:51 of regulation to lift Team North Dakota to a 4-2 win over the Penguins.

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