January 27, 2015

Oilers skate to championship title

By Neal A. Shipman
Farmer Editor

It was a great weekend for Watford City’s Junior Gold hockey team as the Oilers won the FASA Invitational Hockey Tournament in Grand Forks with a 3-0 win over the Grand Forks Stallions.
The Oilers advanced to the title game by tying Huron, S.D., 1-1, in game 1, and then beating Walsh County (Park River), 4-1, and Grand Rapids, Minn., 4-2.
In the title game, the championship game, the Oilers had goals come off the sticks of three different players. Senior winger, Wyatt Staal, scored  Watford City’s first goal midway through the first period on an assist by Dalton Wright. Staal’s line of Eric Hellandsaas and James Devers out worked the Grand Forks defenders to set up the goal.
Holding a 1-0 lead going into the second period, Jon Dunn scored the Oilers’ second goal as he picked up a rebound in front of the Grand Forks netminder and slipped the puck past to put the Oilers up 2-0. Erick Leiseth added the assist.
Watford City would add its final goal in the third period when Senior winger Cody Johnson blasted a shot from the slot, beating the Grand Forks goalie low stick side. Daniel Marmon set up Johnson’s goal.
Junior goaltender Quayde Shores, kicked aside 23 shots for the shutout and championship win.
 “Quayde was on the top of his game all weekend allowing only six goals in four games,” stated Dave Hansen, Oilers’ head coach.
Scoring in the games prior to the championship game were Ted Ramage and Jon Dunn with four goals and one assist each; Cody Johnson and Derrike Hayden with one goal and one assist each;  Dalton Wright and Rait Elliot with one goal; Daniel Marmon with one goal and five assists; Erick Hellandsaas with two assists; and Beau Heiser with one assist. Shores stopped 109 of the 115 shots thrown at him over the weekend.
The Oilers will be back in action this weekend on Saturday, Jan. 31, when they take on the Watford City B team at 7 p.m.

WATFORD CITY WEATHER