The hockey season is officially under way in Alexandria. The Blizzard opened up this past Saturday against defending national champions the Granite City Lumberjacks.
The Lumberjacks got on the board first with a quick goal off a face off just 2:15 into the first period. The rest of the period saw back and forth action, but the period ended with the Lumberjacks holding on to a 1-0 lead.
The interesting note on the first period however was the physical play by both teams. Granite City racked up 21 minutes in total penalties as Alexandria managed to have 14 minutes in the box. A majority of those minutes came from fights, one by the Blizzard’s Levi Erickson and the other by defenseman Kyle Kuntz. Blizzard fans certainly saw the intensity that is brought to the ice by the new product, and they certainly reacted with loud cheers to let the team know their enthusiasm.
The second period started similar to the first as Granite City was able to tally a goal early, but defenseman Karson Kuntz answered back with a quick wrister as he entered the zone and went top shelf on the Lumberjacks goalie.
Although play was back and forth, Granite City was able to put two more past Blizzard netminder Kyle Miller as the Blizzard entered the locker room down 4-1.
Head Coach Jeff Crouse fired them up at the break as Blizzard forward and Alexandria native Jack Wensman buried one just 2 minutes into the start of the third to make it a 4-2 game.
This was the point where the physical play really stepped up. Just a minute after Wensman’s goal, Blizzard defenseman Spencer Peratalo got the fans on their feet as he layed a crushing right hook knocking the Lumberjacks Aaron Azevedo to the ground.
The Lumberjacks got one more past Miller as the game finished with a 5-2 loss for the Blizzard.
The Blizzard are back in action this Friday and Saturday as they take on Breezy Point in a doubleheader at the Runestone Community Center. Puck drops at 7:00 pm.
