White Bear Lake's Nick Truen, left, races past Maple Grove's Jordan Adams. Photo by Helen Nelson
Maple Grove's Spencer Bell, left, leans into White Bear Lake's David Trudeau. Photo by Helen Nelson
Nick Timmons, a force of a defenseman who ranks among the state’s best in ground balls, was one of group of Bears who constantly poked, prodded and harassed Maple Grove scoring phenom David Corazalla. A junior who entered the game with 35 goals (second most in the state) Corazalla was held scoreless against the Bears.
White Bear Lake coach Brandon Husak. Photo by Helen Nelson
Ted Ramert
1. Ted Ramert, White Bear Lake
The Bears’ go-to scorer notched four goals, carrying his team in the first half and into the third quarter. The elusive and sneaky fast junior capped the victory in cherry-on-the-sundae fashion by setting up defenseman Tom Arko for his first goal of the season.
2. Nick Truen, White Bear Lake
The junior midfielder was solid on faceoffs and always seemed to be in the center of the action. Most of the scrums Truen entered ended with him scooping the ball and running away from traffic. Truen’s goal late in the fourth quarter after winning a battle for a ground ball put the Bears ahead 8-5, their first three-goal lead.
3. Nathan Otterson, Maple Grove
If Otterson were a horse he would be classified as a mudder, as he had a breakout performance in sloppy, downpour conditions. He scored four goals to keep the Crimson within striking distance through three quarters.