With an overpowering victory, the Benilde-St. Margaret’s boys’ hockey team had their home opener versus the Stillwater Ponies on December 4. Winning 9 to 3, the Red Knights now have a season reccord of 2 and 0. “This win is just another step to where we want to be at the end of the year,” said freshmen Grant Besse.
Last year, the Red Knights had a disappointing loss to the Ponies, falling 6 to 2. “Last year we had a completely different team, we came out flat, and took a lot of penalties early, [and gave up] up 1st period goals. This year we didn’t wait, we just filled their net up,” said senior captain Brett Patterson.
Grant Besse, one of four freshmen on the varsity team, received his first hat trick, scoring one goal every period. “It felt great, but I don’t think I could have done it without my line mates Brett Patterson and Christian Horn,” said Besse. The Red Knights’ first line––Patterson, sophomore Christian Horn and Besse––controlled the puck with three assists from Patterson and two goals and an assist from Horn.
Sophomore defenseman Jake Horton started off the game with his first goal of the season and was followed five minutes later by junior Pat Steinhauser, scoring his first of two goals for the night. After Patterson was put in the penalty box for roughing, the Ponies came back in the game sliding the puck past goal tender Jacob Meyers. With only 5 seconds left in the first period and Stillwater back on the board Besse scored, ending the first period 3 to 1.
With Besse and John Duda both scoring in the second period, the Red Knights were beginning to break the Stillwater Ponies. “We just tried to execute Coach Ken Pauly’s game plan. Steiny drove wide, Will Nelson drove to the net and the goalie was baffled, I saw the open slot and I hammered it in,” said Duda.
In the third period the teams became more physical and switched off scoring. Still keeping up their offense and defense, Horn, Steinhauser, and Besse tied off the game, each scored to solidify a 9-3 Red Knight victory. “This game showed that we have scoring throughout our line-up, offense and defense,” said Patterson. “[And] also that we are hard to play against in all 3 periods.”