Kalamazoo, MI – South Dakota’s team of 14-and-under hockey players dominated the York (Pennsylvania) Devils in the second round of pool play in the 2022 USA Hockey Tier II 14U National Tournament, winning 9 to 3.
Team South Dakota (Team SD) jumped out to an early 1 to 0 lead as Brookings forward Jackson Heller scored on a nice feed from Rapid City forward Colton Merchen. Just over two minutes later, Team SD extended it on a goal by Brookings defenseman Cody Jacobsen.
“[Colton Merchen] got it in and I just wheeled to the net,” Heller recalled. “He set me up for a back door and I put it in – it was a wide open net, so pretty easy.”
York got on the board with 3:35 left in the first on a power play goal that snuck by goalie Luke Moeller of Yankton. But with 20 seconds to go in the period, Team SD regained a two goal lead when Merchen pounded a rebound past the Devils’ goaltender to end the period leading 3 to 1.
“I felt really good about it; the team played great defense and held the shots down to a minimum and I’m very thankful for that,” Moeller said. “They had some good shooters and I did my job.”
Team SD struck again early in the second. Aberdeen forward Carson Myhre ripped a shot from the righthand side that appeared to go in, but as the officials waved it off the puck ricocheted to Aberdeen defenseman Jaxson Danielson, who punched it in from the left faceoff dot to extend Team SD’s lead, 4 to 1.
York scored again to close the gap with 6:28 remaining in the second, but Myhre answered a few minutes later when Danielson returned the favor, gliding a shot toward the Devils goalie that Myhre tapped in to extend Team SD’s lead, 5 to 2.
Later in the period, Team SD scored on another tipped goal, with Heller notching his second of the game, knocking the puck in on the short side off a shot from Brandon defenseman Lucas Fogarty. Team SD ended the second leading 6 to 2.
“I passed it up to [Merchen] for a breakout; Merch took it in and I think he fell down [along] the boards and then he passed it up,” Fogarty noted. “I got it and then I took a little snap shot, and Heller took a tip and got it in.”
In the third period, York managed their third goal of the contest, but Team SD found the net three more times. Myhre scored on a feed from Pierre forward Carter Sanderson, Merchen scored on assists from Jacobsen and Brookings forward Riley Lindstad, and Rapid City defenseman Hudson Beert put one in off the crossbar.
Team SD’s 9 to 3 victory puts them at two wins and no losses in the tournament. Team SD will complete pool play against the Indiana Irish Rovers at 1:45 P.M. eastern time on April 2.
