2011-12 Season Summaries

Improved Crusaders dominate Little Falls

A 7-1 home win over Little Falls Feb. 4 reveals just how much Cathedral's hockey team has improved. In the Dec. 6 match-up at Little Falls, the Crusaders scored three third-period goals for a 4-3 comeback win. For parts of that contest Cathedral skaters were on their heels or chasing purple puck-carriers. Fast forward to Feb. 4: Little Falls went 0-for-4 on the powerplay, was scoreless until midway through the third period and pulled its star goalie with 12 minutes remaining.

Cathedral control of all phases of Saturday's game was evident in the first period with a Mitch Fritz goal, a dazzling Danny Johnston to Ryan Kissner 2-on-1 scoring play and a flawless five-minute penalty kill. In the second, Tommy Hall scored on the powerplay and Johnston scored unassisted on a low-angle wrister from the left side.

In the third, Hall scored on helpers from Will Hammer and Austin Poganski. Senior defenseman Sam Wood put nails in the coffin with back-to-back goals, pushing the CHS lead to 7-0. Wood's first tally chased Flyers' goalie Michael Stumpf, identified by Minnesota Hockey as one of the state's top 25 goalies. Senior forward Brandon Jameson set up Wood's second goal. Junior goalie Connor Amundson, who sports a gaudy .943 save percentage, saved 13. CHS has scored 51 goals in the last six games, an average of 8.5 per game. Poganski, who earned two assists, surpassed the 40-point mark on the season. View the RinkWriter scoresheet (PDF).

CHS overwhelms the Otters

The outcome for Cathedral was 11-0
Fergus Falls was pointless, Mitch Fritz the hero
Friday, Feb. 3rd, down at the MAC
A full-on Fritzie sniper attack
Four goals sprung from his blue Warrior stick
Including a natural, a first-period hat trick

The D boys delivered assists, count ’em eight
Woody, Swingle and Bailey did skate
Through three zones, like hot knives through butter
Until our fans heard the Otter team mutter
How can we stop them? What can we do?
As the shots and goals began to accrue

Revier and Swingle scored on one powerplay
Just two of the highlights on this crazy day
Jordan from the slot and Austin on the goal line
You just knew the biscuit was finding the twine
Hall’s breakaway found a top-shelf angle
Spethmann’s tally was a heckuva dangle

Pogo scored, Will scored, Josh earned a goose egg
Robak saved 16, some off his right leg
In the second, Hall started the PP barrage
By then Mitchell’s left wrist needed massage
His offhand wristers flicked, if you please
From the right side, past the goalie, with apparent ease

Swingle reached the 20-point mark on the season, a significant scoring achievement for a defenseman. Fergus Falls' senior goalie Korey Anderson faced 43 shots. The visiting players skated hard to the end, applying pressure that produced a waved-off scoring play with three seconds remaining. View the RinkWriter scoresheet (PDF).

Boys net big moments in CHS win over Wadena-Deer Creek

Cathedral skaters and coaches showed plenty of class Jan. 26, focusing on team over scoresheet and scoreboard tallies. The 13-2 home victory over winless Wadena-Deer Creek, a game in which the visitors were outshot 38-8, could have been much worse for the Otters. By the second period the Crusaders were making extra passes to set up Dylan Donnay and Brandon Jameson, players who've thus far seen limited varsity ice time. Jameson responded with a goal and an assist. Donnay wowed the crowd with several dazzling tip plays and re-direct attempts before burying the biscuit 10 minutes into the third period. Teammates saluted Jameson and Donnay with cheers as the two senior forwards headed to the locker room at game's end.

Ten Crusaders scored goals. Mitch Fritz recorded a hat trick. Danny Johnston, who earned a goal and three assists, reached the 40-point mark on the season. Austin Poganski scored twice and tallied an assist. Junior Peter Spethman, who centered the third line, lit the fuse for CHS with a behind-the-net feed to Travis Gadbois to open the scoring. Josh Robak was in goal. View the RinkWriter scoresheet (PDF).

The Otters played gamely for three periods, led by goalie Wesley Janson, who saved 25. The Wadena-Deer Creek program has struggled in the wake of a June 2010 tornado that damaged the high school and destroyed the community center that housed the hockey rink. An EF4 tornado with wind speeds estimated at 170 mph wiped out about 20 city blocks. Last season the team practiced outdoors or traveled 40 miles to the rink in Long Prairie. A new indoor arena opened this fall in the Central Minnesota town of 4,000. View the game photos in the CHS Photocast. Photos by Andy Golebiowski and Jeff Wood.

Balanced scoring helps Cathedral beat L/D-C

Goals from five players helped Cathedral beat Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato 7-2 Jan. 24 in Litchfield. The Crusaders outshot the Dragons 57-22. Austin Poganski scored twice and recorded three assists.

Danny Johnson opened scoring with even-strength and powerplay goals at 16:40 and 11:10, respectively, of the first. Mitch Fritz moved the score to 3-0 on a faceoff goal from Ryan Kissner with 4:05 left in the first. A nifty Will Hammer backhander from the low slot at the 2:45 mark suggested the Crusaders would take a 4-0 lead into the locker room. But, the Dragons scored eight seconds into a one-man advantage with 2:26 remaining and then scored an even-strength goal with 1:35 left.

CHS went scoreless on a five-minute powerplay that straddled the first and second periods. Tommy Hall got the visitors going again with a even-strength goal at 7:37 of the second. Poganski followed with a powerplay goal at 4:44.

Poganski scored even-strength one-minute into the third. Connor Amundson saved 20 in goal. View the game photos in the CHS Photocast. Photos by Andy Golebiowski.

CHS crushes the Cardinals

Danny Johnston scored his 20th goal of the season to help the Crusaders to a resounding 8-1 defeat of Alexandria Jan. 21 at Runestone Community Center in Alexandria. The Crusaders outshot the home team 43-8, thanks to a zone-holding blueline crew and backchecking forwards. Johnston collected an assist and two goals on the game, including a short-handed goal during the Crusaders' penalty-filled second period. Linemate Ryan Kissner scored and recorded three assists. The assist of the game was earned by senior forward Travis Gadbois, whose tic-tac-tic return pass to Sam Wood highlighted a 2-on-1 scoring play in the second. Austin Poganski scored twice, joining Johnston above the 30-point scoring threshold on the season. Josh Robak was in goal. View the Hockey Hub gamesheet. View the game photos in the CHS Photocast. Photos by Andy Golebiowski and Jeff Wood.

CHS defeats Apollo, beautifully

Cathedral overcame a slow start, wore down Apollo's aggressive checking scheme, and won 5-1 in front of the season's largest home audience Jan. 17 at the MAC. The home team executed three plays that remind us why French-speaking Canadians call hockey le beau jeu -- the beautiful game. In the first period, at the right faceoff circle, Austin Poganski drew the puck to Austin Swingle at the point. Simultaneously, Danny Johnston broke to goalie Reese Gregory's left post. Swingle feathered a pass to Johnston who slipped the puck past the post -- all in a couple eye blinks. On the penalty kill in the second, Will Hammer caught a pass in the neutral zone and steamrolled down ice in a 2-on-1 with Poganski, who sniped upper-right for a short-handed goal. In the third, senior blueliner Sam Wood led a flying Hammer with a pass on the right wing. Hammer, in stride, flicked the biscuit into the back of the Apollo net. Also beautiful was junior Beau Gerding's debut as a defenseman. Pressed into service with the injury to Dan Bailey, Gerding showed poise and skill in a variety of game situations, earning a second assist on a third-period goal by Poganski. Sophomore Poganski used his beautiful skill set to overmatch Apollo skaters throughout the game, recording two goals and two assists. Connor Amundson saved 17. View the RinkWriter scoresheet (PDF). View the game photos in the CHS Hockey Photocast. Photos by Andy Golebiowski and Jeff Wood.

Cathedral loses close one in H-Town

Cathedral is 0-for-4 against elite teams this season, but the 2-1 loss Jan. 13 in Hermantown revealed Cathedral is improving. The Crusaders pushed the undefeated and second-ranked Hawks to the limit, losing on an even-strength goal with less than four minutes remaining. Connor Amundson, who saved 30, kept CHS in the game during the first period when the Hawks were buzzing 'round the junior netminder. The Crusaders matched, even controlled, play for parts of the next two periods, amassing 26 shots on goal -- a stark contrast to the 7-1 loss Feb. 26 in the Sec. 5A semifinal at Hermantown. Austin Poganski set up Tommy Hall for Cathedral's goal, a powerplay tally 10 minutes into the second period.

CHS sings "Roll, Jordan, Roll" in Mound-Westonka win

The return from injury of Jordan Revier sparked a 6-3 defeat of Mound-Westonka Jan. 10 at the MAC. But for a disputed goal, the senior forward would have had a hat trick by the second period. Nevertheless, his two goals with linemates Ryan Kissner and Mitch Fritz helped set the tone. Fritz finished with four assists on the night. Also crucial to the victory was the play of Josh Robak. The junior netminder iced the win in the third with 19 of his 33 saves. The final frame saw Robak and his teammates battle through a long stretch of penalty killing, including a 5-on-3 situation. Also scoring for CHS were Danny Johnston (2), Kissner and Will Hammer. View the RinkWriter scoresheet (PDF). View the game photos in the CHS Hockey Photocast. Photos by Andy Golebiowski.

CHS rallies to beat Warroad at The Gardens

A Mitchell Fritz-to-Ryan Kissner game-winning goal and composed play down the stretch helped Cathedral defeat Warroad 3-2 Jan. 7 at The Gardens in Warroad. Trailing 2-0 midway through the second period, Austin Poganski got the jump on two Warroad players and buried a hard shot from the right circle. Then with seconds remaining in the second, Will Hammer got the puck alone in the slot. The sophomore forward took his time, scanned the net for an opening and then flicked it past the Warriors' Andy Foster. That emotional turning point bore fruit early in the third when Fritz got the puck from Dan Bailey high in the offensive zone, raced down the right side boards and lasered a crossing pass to Kissner, who slammed it home. The Warriors took 20 penalty minutes in the third as their frustration with Cathedral's team speed began to mount. Fritz capped the game with some adept puck eating behind the Crusaders' net in the waning seconds. Connor Amundson saved 20, including 11 in the first period. The Warriors managed just three third-period shots. View the game photos in the CHS Hockey Photocast.

Crusaders blitz Crookston 7-3

Tommy Hall and Will Hammer each recorded a goal and two assists to guide Cathedral to a 7-3 win over Crookston Jan. 6 at Crookston Sports Center. Two defensemen notched goals, a measure of the Crusaders' control of the offensive zone. Senior blueliner Sam Wood scored on a wrister from the point early in the second to push the Cathedral lead to 4-1. Classmate Michael Kerber scored the Crusaders' final goal midway in the third. Danny Johnston scored twice. The senior captain's stick-handling clinic that culminated in an unassisted first-period tally had fans on the east end of the arena muttering the word "dangle." The Crusaders struggled a bit in the neutral and defensive zones, yielding 30 shots on goal. Junior goalie Josh Robak was equal to the task, saving 27. The team's best defensive effort was courtesy of the hard-charging Travis Gadbois-Peter Spethmann-Corey Wheelock line. The trio hooked up for a Gadbois goal about 10 minutes into the second. View the game photos in the CHS Hockey Photocast.

Rusty Crusaders get burned by Fire

Cathedral hadn't played since Dec. 22 and hadn't been challenged by an opponent since Dec. 15. The accumulated rust showed in a 4-1 loss to Holy Family Catholic Jan. 3 in Victoria. The Fire, which played three games last week, scored twice in the opening 1:41 of the game. Junior netminder Connor Amundson stood on his head, stopping a reported 47 shots, including 19 in the second period. Danny Johnston scored the lone CHS goal midway through the third period. View the Minnesota Hockey Hub game sheet. View the game photos in the CHS Hockey Photocast.

CHS blanks Mora 14-0

The hat trick scoring of Austin Poganski and Danny Johnston paced Cathedral to a 14-0 defeat of a short-benched Mora/Hinckley-Finlayson team Dec. 22 at the MAC. Poganski also had three assists. Nick Golebiowski scored his first varsity goal on a fight-through-the-check assist from Corey Wheelock. Travis Gadbois earned his first CHS varsity goal. Nine players scored for the Crusaders. Josh Robak saved seven for the home team. View the RinkWriter scoresheet (PDF). View the game photos in the CHS Hockey Photocast. Photos by Andy Golebiowski and Jeff Wood.

CHS pounds Proctor with four-goal period

Austin Poganski shot three goals in the space of a minute, but got credit for just two as the Crusaders blanked Proctor 6-0 Dec. 19 at the MAC. With his team leading 3-0 in the second period, Poganski cranked a shot that went quickly in and out of the goal, escaping the officials' notice. Miffed, the sophomore power forward kept skating and was rewarded seconds later with a high slot chance that he buried with a resounding slap shot. Nine seconds later, with 2:10 left in the frame, Poganski scored again. Running time kicked in as the second was ending when Pete Thibault scored on a low-angle wrister from the left circle.

Scoring began with Tommy Hall's first varsity goal late in the first. With 1:33 left in the first, Danny Johnston scored after cycling nicely with linemate Will Hammer. Hammer opened the second-period onslaught with a powerplay goal. Connor Amundson saved 19. View the RinkWriter scoresheet (PDF). View the game photos in the CHS Hockey Photocast. Photos by Andy Golebiowski.

Cathedral depth dooms Sauk Rapids-Rice

Cathedral got goals from six different players in a 6-0 defeat of Sauk Rapids-Rice Dec. 17 at the MAC. The Crusaders scored twice in the first frame on even-strength tallies by Danny Johnston and Pete Thibault. Austin Swingle, Austin Poganski and William Hammer each scored in the second. The Swingle score was CHS' lone powerplay goal in eight tries. Ryan Kissner rounded out the scoring with a third-period goal. Hammer's goal was a highlight-reel breakway, scored while being tripped. The two teams combined for 30 minutes of penalties. St. Cloud played short-handed nearly nine minutes, at one point skating off a 5-on-3 situation. Junior goal Josh Robak made 10 of his 20 saves in the first period. Cathedral has won two-thirds of this season's Metro Matchups, beating Sartell and Sauk Rapids. The Apollo game is Jan. 17. View the RinkWriter scoresheet (PDF). View the game photos in the CHS Hockey Photocast. Photos by Andy Golebiowski and Jeff Wood.

Swingle and the Crusaders clip Delano in OT

Yelling above the crowd noise Dec. 15 at Torrey Arena, Coach Eric Johnson told his team: "Play for yourselves. Play for each other." They did just that, defeating Delano 2-1 on an Austin Swingle even-strength goal 3:01 into the extra frame. Mitch Fritz and Danny Johnston were credited with the assists. Uncredited on the play was an Austin Poganski screen and distractions created by William Hammer. The Super Sophs were posted up in front of Delano senior goalie Ryan Pinoniemi, who fought off 21 quality scoring chances, according to the official scorer. Even better was the goal play of junior Connor Amundson, who saved 27, including 12 in the crucial third period.

Cathedral went scoreless for nearly three periods against Pinoniemi and the Tigers' intense checking game. Then with 1:49 remaining, Hammer tied the game on an even-strength goal from Poganski and Johnston. This marks the third consecutive overtime win over Delano in less than a year. Fritz broke the Tigers' hearts January at the MAC, scoring 1:17 into overtime. The ensuing celebration is captured on the cover of the CHS Hockey game program. Jordan Revier, who is injured and did not play Thursday, did the honors at Delano in February on helpers from Andrew Thome '11 and Johnston. View the RinkWriter scoresheet (PDF). View the game photos in the CHS Hockey Photocast.

CHS drops 4-1 contest with Lourdes

A flat-on-the-ice whistler from the point was the only Cathedral score during a 4-1 loss to fourth-ranked Rochester Lourdes Dec. 9 at the MAC. Senior defenseman Michael Kerber gave the Crusaders a lead 4:17 into the game. From that point on 22 minutes in penalities and poor special-teams play hampered the home team. Josh Robak saved 25. CHS recorded 27 shots-on-goal. View the RinkWriter scoresheet (PDF). View the St. Cloud Times story. View the game photos in the CHS Hockey Photocast.

CHS gets a 4-3 comback win in Little Falls

A powerplay goal with 1:33 remaining capped a three-goal, third-period comeback, earning Cathedral a 4-3 Granite Ridge Conference win Dec. 6 at Exchange Arena. An Austin Poganski rocket from the right circle (that may have been a goal just inside the left post) was rebounded by Danny Johnston for the gamewinner. Team defense, which limited the Flyers to four shots-on-goal in the third, preserved the win.

The Crusaders began the game with a bang, preventing the Flyers from crossing the red line for 2:51 seconds. Then CHS lost its momentum by giving up a first-period even-strength goal and a second-period shorty. A Will Hammer speed-of-light shot through Michael Stumpf's five-hole got the Crusaders on the board at the end of the second frame. Little Falls answered with 16 seconds remaining, sending CHS into the intermission down 3-1.

The third period was all Cathedral. Poganski scored unassisted 6:32 into the period on a Stumpf miscue. Ryan Kissner tied the game with a powerplay goal from the slot at the 8:52 mark. A checking from behind game misconduct gave the Crusaders their game-winning powerplay opportunity. Josh Robak saved 19. CHS had 32 shots-on-goal. View the Minnesota Hockey Hub game sheet.

CHS defeats Sartell-St. Stephen 8-0

Special teams clicked, the forecheck never quit and the puck was guarded in the defensive end like a crown jewel. The Cathedral Crusaders (2-1-0) milked that formula for an 8-0 non-conference win over Sartell-Stephen Dec. 2 at a fan-packed Bernick's Pepsi Arena in Sartell. For the second consecutive game seniors led the way: Ryan Kissner, Jordan Revier and Danny Johnston each scored twice. Revier's second goal was shorthanded. Juniors Peter Spethmann and Cole Wensman also scored. Junior keeper Josh Robak stopped 14. The win marked the return from injury of sophomore forward Austin Poganski, who recorded three assists. View the RinkWriter scoresheet (PDF).  View game photos in the CHS Hockey Photocast.

Crusaders split in Duluth

Cathedral suffered an 8-1 loss to Breck School, then rebounded with an 8-2 running-time win over Providence Academy at the Marshal Hilltoppers Thanksgiving Tournament Nov. 25-26 in Duluth. Danny Johnston scored the Crusaders' lone goal Friday, converting a turnover into a backhander in the back of the net. Josh Robak recorded 27 saves. View the Hockey Hub game sheet. View game photos in the CHS Hockey Photocast.

Saturday Johnston notched a hat trick against Providence. Jordan Revier and Ryan Kissner each had two goals. Austin Swingle had four assists. Robak recorded 24 saves. View the Hockey Hub game sheet. View game photos in the Photocast.