After back-to-back shutouts to open the season, the Somerset hockey team posted a 3-2 overtime victory over Eau Claire North Saturday in the championship game of its Thanksgiving Weekend Tournament to start the season 3-0.
The Spartans opened the season with a 2-0 victory at Menomonie last Monday and blanked Antigo 1-0 in Friday’s tournament opener before getting the overtime win over the Huskies.
Somerset fought back twice to tie the game Saturday before sophomore Phillip Williams netted his first varsity goal, with an assist from Brock Sawicki 5:51 into overtime, to give the Spartans the 3-2 win.
Freshman goalie Carson Belisle, who stopped a total of 39 shots in recording back-to-back shutouts in his first two varsity starts, finished with 40 saves against the Huskies.
Eau Claire North scored the first goal of the season against Belisle 5:35 into the first period before Somerset tied it up on freshman Layne Pinska’s first career goal, at the 10:42 mark of the opening period, with assists from Malachy Driscoll and Jon Bown.
North scored the only goal of the second period to take a 2-1 lead, but the Spartans got a power play goal by Driscoll with just over six minutes remaining in the third to tie the score again. Wyatt Connors and Michael Shannon earned assists on the play.
After being outshot 40-21 in regulation, the Spartans came out flying in the overtime and were outshooting the Huskies 6-2 before Williams won it on the Spartans’ seventh shot at the 5:51 mark of the extra session.
One day earlier, Shannon’s goal with just under three minutes remaining in the first period was all the Spartans would need, or get, in a 1-0 victory over Antigo in the tournament opener.
Somerset outshot Antigo 40-13 but Shannon’s was the only one that found the back of the net, with assists from Ben Myers and Sawicki, at the 13:44 mark of the opening period. Belisle stopped all 13 shots he faced to record his second shutout of the season.
Belisle registered his first career shutout in the Spartans’ 2-0 season-opening victory at Menomonie last Monday. Somerset got a shorthanded goal from Shannon and a power play goal from Brown, while Belisle stopped all 26 shots he faced.
Shannon’s goal came at the 3:28 mark of the second period with the Spartans down a skater following a tripping penalty. Wyatt Connors earned an assist on the play.
Brown gave the Spartans a 2-0 lead with his power play goal midway through the third period with Shannon and Connors assisting.
The Spartans outshot the Mustangs 34-26 while going 1-for-6 on the power play. They held Menomonie scoreless on the penalty kill while tallying one goal of their own.
The Spartans will host Spooner this Friday night at 7:30 p.m. before opening Middle Border Conference play at Altoona Tuesday, Dec. 6.