Mike Kraft/MDN Minot United senior captain Oliver Thompson scored a goal and added two assists in a 4-2 win at Bismarck Legacy on Tuesday, Dec. 2, in the WDA opener for both teams.

Like a shark smelling blood in the water, the Minot United boys hockey team were ready to attack whenever Bismarck Legacy was careless with the puck.

Minot United scored a pair of goals off Legacy turnovers, fueling them to a 4-2 victory on the road to begin West Region play on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at the VFW Sports Center. Minot United registered the final three goals of the contest and kept the Sabers off the scoreboard over the final two periods for their second straight win.

“We wanted to put pressure on their D and put pucks behind their D and be able to forecheck, and the kids did a really good job of that tonight,” Minot United co-head coach Jordan Willert said. “We went hard finishing checks, getting sticks on pucks and the pucks turnover and we were able to capitalize on a couple of the opportunities.”

For the second consecutive game, Minot United had a different goal scorer for each of their markers, three of which netted their first of the season.

Minot United (2-2 overall, 1-0 West Region) took the lead early, capitalizing on a turnover by the Sabers at the blue line at their offensive end. Kayden Danielson corralled the loose puck and carried it through the neutral zone and into Legacy’s defensive zone before ripping a shot glove side past goaltender Brody Krumwiede to give Minot United a 1-0 lead three minutes into the contest.

Legacy (2-2, 1-1) responded with back-to-back goals to grab the lead. Beckham Presley-McKay got the Sabers on the board at 5:01 of the opening period directly off a faceoff win. Presley-McKay won the faceoff, gathered the puck and went five-hole on Minot United goaltender Maxim Hall.

Presley-McKay had a hand in Legacy’s other goal later in the frame off a 3-on-1. The sophomore forward found Harrison Johnson in front of the net with a pass from the far-side boards to put the Sabers in front, 2-1, with six minutes left in the first period.

Brady Grosz drew Minot United even before the first intermission with his first goal of the season. Oliver Thompson set the scoring play in motion, firing a shot from the top of the circle that went just wide of the net, but took a fortuitous bounce in front of the cage, allowing Grosz the opportunity to take a few whacks at the puck before eventually swatting it over the goal line.

Minot United dominated puck possession over the final 34 minutes, outshooting the Sabers 24-3 in the second period and 43-13 for the game. Despite 24 shots on net in the middle stanza, Minot United only managed to get one by Krumwiede, but it came via a Legacy turnover once again.

“We were able to handle them with our forecheck,” Willert said. “The kids executed that really well. They’ve done what we’ve asked them to do. We talked about going low-to-high and getting bodies to the net and we were able to do that. When you do that repetitively, it wears on a team and they get tired and they start trying to flip pucks or they’re standing up straight and we were able to do that. That’s all credit to our kids and their work ethic. They executed what we’ve given them to do and it was really fun to see.”

A failed clear attempt out of the zone by the Sabers allowed Thompson to set up Easton Bradley in front of the net. Krumwiede got his body in front of the shot, but not enough to keep it from trickling over the goal line through his pads for what would be the game-winning goal at 7:45 of the second period.

After assisting on two of the first three goals, Thompson got one of his own in the third period to push the lead to 4-2 with 10 minutes remaining. Bradley left the puck for Thompson at the faceoff dot and the senior forward sniped a shot blocker-side shoulder to complete a three-point night.

“Oliver is a kid who is reaping what he sowed,” Willert said. “That kid has put in a lot of work over the last two summers, completely changed his body and mindset from his sophomore year where he was just kind of a kid who was in and out of the lineup to now being someone we lean on in big spots. It’s a big testament to him. He’s put in a lot of work behind the scenes and a lot of people don’t see that stuff. It’s nice to see it pay off for him.”

Hall finished with 11 saves to pick up his first win in net this season. Krumwiede stopped 39 shots.

Through four games, Minot United already has 10 different goal scorers and 13 skaters with points.

“It’s really nice to see kids step up that either haven’t been at the varsity level or have been here but haven’t been having a lot of the ‘point success,’ but it’s a testament to this group. There’s not necessarily one superstar. It’s just a collective group of kids that work extremely hard and use each other well.”

Minot United returns home to play Jamestown on Thursday, Dec. 4, at 7:30 p.m. at Maysa Arena.