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Bryden Stoskopf with game winner in double OT

Rams advance with comeback victory over Buffalo

By Tracy Ostby, Editor, 02/22/17, 6:30AM CST

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Bryden Stoskopf with game winner in double overtime

Tuesday the Rams opened up Section 8AA playoffs with a home game against the #6 seed Buffalo Bison at Memorial Arena. Roseau came in with the #3 seed and facing a very senior dominant Bison team that was somewhat of an unknown as teams did not face each other during the regular season.

Roseau came out with a jump in the opening period but sophomore Bison goaltender Nathan Mueller kept the Rams off the board until 14:08 when Hanson O’Leary knocked in a rebound off of a John Tangen shot giving the Rams a 1-0 lead. Adam Hedlund picked up the second assist on the play.  Brandon Lund would convert on a nifty move beating Mueller just over two minutes later in the final minute of the period with Trevor McMillan and Alec Severson picking up helpers. Roseau would take the 2-0 lead into the locker room and outshooting the Bison 11-0 for the period in a commanding opening frame.

The second period the Bison had a chance to regroup and did so quickly cutting the Rams lead to 2-1 at 1:41 when Ben Klein beat Rams starting goaltender Willie Woolever with Joe McNamara credited with the load assist. At the 13:44 of the period the Rams defensemen Alec Severson was called for a 5-minute major for boarding putting the Bison on the power play. The Bison would capitalize quickly as they converted just 14 seconds later on a Cade Stensby goal and tying the game at 2-2 and switching the momentum in the Bison’s favor. Buffalo would take their first lead of the game 15 seconds later with Luke Ramsey redirecting a Nick Mueller shot from the point putting the Bison up 3-2. The on slot would continue as herd converted again on the major penalty with Jon Pearson scoring an unassisted goal at 14:58 to send the Bison to intermission holding a 4-2 lead and a goaltending change as the Rams would bring in senior Izaak Olson in relief of Woolever. The Rams once again outshoot the Bison for the period 11-6 and 22-6 for the game.

With a penalty called in the closing minute of the second period both teams would start the third period skating 4 on 4 for the first 1:23 of the period. Roseau came out in the third with a sense of urgency as Bryden Stoskopf scored his first of the night just 38 seconds into the period closing the Bison lead to 4-3 with Jonah Huglen and Alex Verbout picking up assists on the goal. The Bison would regain their two goal lead when Bison defensemen Joe McNamara would send a innocent dump in on net that bounced over the shoulder of the Rams netminder Izaak Olson giving Buffalo a 5-3 lead with 7:52 remaining in regulation play. Bryden Stoskopf would cut the lead back to one goal two minutes later, scoring a short-handed goal with Nathan Adrian and Nick Geroy assisting on the goal with the Rams trailing 5-4. Roseau pulled their goaltender for the extra attacker with 1:50 remaining in the game and Brandon Lund was able to sneak a puck in past Mueller just inside the near post tying the game at 5-5 with 1:10 remaining in regulation. Stoskopf and Severson picked up the assists on a huge goal that would eventually close out scoring in regulation play. Roseau outshot the Bison in the third by a 15-10 margin and 37-16 through three periods of play.

The first overtime period had both teams go scoreless with and both having quality scoring chances with the Bison having a slight edge in shots 7-3 but would send the game into an intermission and a 17-minutes second overtime period.

The second period heroics started with a turnover in the neutral zone with the Rams entering the Bison zone with senior captain Bryden Stoskopf closing out his hat trick on a quick wrister in the slot that Mueller got a piece of but beating the sophomore and securing the exciting Roseau double overtime 6-5 victory in front of a vocal hometown crowd.

Bison netminder Nathan Mueller who was solid all night closed out the evening with 35 saves on 41 shots faced while a combined effort of Willie Woolever and Izaak Olson finished with 19 saves on 24 shots and Olson picking up the win.

Roseau will now travel to St. Michael-Albertville on Saturday one of two semi-finals and will face the #2 seed Knights who won in a come from behind decision over St. Cloud 5-4. Game time is set for 7:00 pm. The other semi-final will have #4 seed Brainerd traveling to Moorhead to take on the #1 seed Spuds.