EAST GRAND FORKS — When Moorhead's Aaron Reierson scored his fourth goal of the Minnesota Section 8AA boys hockey championship game, the senior forward took off his glove and flashed four fingers to the crowd in celebration.
But by the time Reierson even scored his first goal of the game Thursday night, the Spuds were already in a comfortable position in the East Grand Forks Civic Center.
The Spuds threw a combination of Reierson's elite ability, as well as depth scoring, at Roseau in a complete package of an 8-1 win over the Rams.
"You never really think of scoring four goals in a section (championship)," Reierson said. "It's surreal. Glad the team got the win."
The Spuds, 19-9, won the section title for the fifth time in a row and for the sixth time in seven years. Moorhead beat Roseau three times during the season — all by at least three goals.
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"I honestly thought the difference in the game was what we would call our third line," Moorhead coach Jon Ammerman said. "It's really a group of four guys who rotate — Brooks Cullen, Carver Hasbargen, Joey Simonich and Abe Carlson. I think between that line they had three goals. They haven't scored a ton, but in a big game like this, to rise to the occasion, is a significant thing."
There was only a brief moment of Roseau life midway through the second period. Rams leading scorer Noah Urness scored at 7:35 of the second to bring Roseau within 3-1.
However, Simonich scored a little more than two minutes later and Reierson started his barrage with two late second-period goals as Moorhead went to the second intermission with a 6-1 advantage.
"All year, he's been somebody who has been able to score for us and been an important piece of our team," Ammerman said. "Aaron's a goal scorer and he has two guys helping him get to the puck. He had a great night."
Shots were fairly even throughout the game, as Roseau goalie Atreyu Jones stopped 30 shots, while Moorhead goalie Kai Weigel made 32 saves.
"With Kai, it changes the dynamic of the game," Ammerman said. "I thought we defended really well in front of him, eliminating second and third opportunities. It was a fun night for the kids. They've played extremely well the last couple of weeks. It was fun to see them play as hard as they did and be rewarded for it."
In addition to Reierson's five-point night in which he raised his season goal total to 32, the Spuds received two goals from Carlson, a goal and three assists from Mason Kraft and a goal and two assists from Simonich.
"We just worked our butts off," Carlson said. "We played as a team. We've been working to this point all year. It's special. I'm just speechless."
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