Elk River was trying to match its program high for wins Wednesday night when Osseo/Park Center leading scorer Boone Almquist launched a shot towards the goal in overtime.
As the ball rolled off the side of the net, sending the home crowd into a presumptuous frenzy, Elk River coach Thomas Haugen remained stoic on his sideline.
“We were calm still,” Haugen said after the game. “We respect (Osseo/Park Center) a ton. We got lucky in that situation.”
Play resumed after Almquist’s near-goal, and the Elks took full advantage of the second chance.
Junior attacker Hunter Kivley beat Osseo/Park Center goaltender Taylor Comstock shortly after, giving the Elk River the 11-10 win.
The victory puts the Elks at 6-1 on the season, a win total that equals the program’s previous high, set in 2012.
“Honestly it has nothing to do with me,” Haugen said of the team’s resurgence after winning just four games in each of the past two seasons.
“It’s the guys,” Haugen added, listing every off-season opportunity the players took to improve their game, including the Elk River winter league, summer workouts and captains’ practices.
Kivley’s game-winner was his sixth goal of the game, giving him the team lead with 14.
“We were just busting our butts the whole offseason, we came here and we just put it on,” Kivley said.
Kivley and senior midfielder Marcus Olson rallied in the last six minutes of the game with the Elks trailing 10-8, connecting for consecutive goals to tie the game and force overtime.
“I think it gave us a lot of momentum,” Olson said. “I think there was an obvious shift out here.”
Kivley scored two goals as a sophomore on last year’s 4-10 Elks’ team, and says that the climb from the bottom third of the Northwest Suburban Conference to this season’s conference frontrunners can be attributed to all the extra time the Elks put in.
“I think we’ve worked harder this season than all (previous) seasons combined,” Kivley said.
Elk River defenseman Jack Hendrickson applies pressure to OPC attacker Noah Fleming behind the net in the second quarter. Photo by Drew Herron
First Report
Junior attacker Hunter Kivley scored with 1:46 remaining in overtime to give Elk River a 11-10 victory over Osseo/Park Center on Wednesday night in Northwest Suburban Conference action at Park Center High School.
Kivley finished with six goals, and senior attacker Nolan Kivley scored twice for the Elks (6-1, 6-0). Sophomores Nick Utz, Kyle Jussila and Jake Edwards each scored once for Elk River.
Senior midfielder Boone Almquist recorded five goals for Osseo/Park Center (4-3, 4-3), with freshman attacker Daman Lingasin adding two scores. Jack Hauser, Carter Compton and Alec Johnson all notched one goal apiece in the loss.
Elk's sophomore mid Jake Edwards is in hot pursuit of OPC sophomore Carter Compton during the second quarter Wednesday. Photo by Drew Herron
