CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston hockey team overcame a 4-2 deficit early in the third period to upend the University of Jamestown 6-4 in their season opener Friday, October 14 at the Crookston Sports Center. The Golden Eagles scored four goals in the final 16 minutes, propelled by two Tyler Zahradka (Jr., F, Grand Forks, N.D.) tallies.

Zahradka led the Golden Eagles with two goals. Logan Syrup (So., F, Park River, N.D.) chipped in a goal and two assists. Casey Kallock (Sr., D, Alvarado, Minn.) had a goal and an assist. Dylan Neubauer (So., F, Thompson, N.D.) and Jackson Fuller (So., F, Minneapolis, Minn.) also found the back of the net. Jake Huska (Jr., D, Snow Lake, Manitoba), Dylan Borseth (Sr., F, Williston, N.D.) and Zach Larson (Jr., F, Grand Forks, N.D.) added assists.

Braden Schmitz (So., G, Devils Lake, N.D.) had 33 saves in the game, allowing four goals.
Jamestown looked to goals from Braxton Neas, Christian Jarmusz, Alex Church, and Connor Rollo.

The game was full of penalties as UMN Crookston had nine penalties for 44 minutes, while Jamestown had nine penalties for 34 minutes. The Golden Eagles were 3-of-7 on the power play, while the Jimmies were 1-of-10. Four players were disqualified from the game, two from each side after a scuffle in the second stanza.

Minnesota Crookston opened the scoring in the ninth minute of the game when Logan Syrup found the back of the net off helpers from Borseth and Kallock.

The Jimmies knotted the game up 1-1 on a power-play goal two minutes into the second stanza when Church scored off a Justin King assist. UMN Crookston took the 2-1 advantage in the 15^th minute when Neubauer notched a power-play tally on a putback of a Huska shot, who notched the assist. Jamestown tied the game up 2-2 late in the second when Jarmusz scored off a Joshua Bishop apple.

The Jimmies used the momentum early in the third period as Braxton Neas scored less than two minutes into the stanza off a Jensen Baehr assist. Jamestown pushed the advantage to 4-2 at the four-minute mark of the third period when Rollo scored off a Zayne Fay assist.

The Golden Eagles were in a tough spot down 4-2, but they didn't wave the white flag. UMN Crookston dialed it in, as just seconds after the fourth Jamestown goal Zahradka found the net off helpers from Larson and Logan Syrup.

UMN Crookston knotted the game up 4-4 as Kallock picked up a loose puck and fired in the power-play laser. Minnesota Crookston tilted the game in their favor in the seventh minute of the third when Zahradka notched a power-play goal off a Logan Syrup assist.

They iced the win 6-4 with a short-handed empty netter from Fuller with less than two minutes remaining.

The Golden Eagles will look to ride the early season momentum as they host Jamestown Saturday, October 15 at 2 p.m. at the Crookston Sports Center.