BROOKINGS – The Rangers posted three victories over the weekend to take the South Dakota Amateur Hockey Association boys’ varsity regular-season title.
Brookings finished 18-1-0-1, outscoring its opponents a combined 121-19. The Rangers posted eight shutouts.
The state tournament is March 12-14 in Sioux Falls.
Sunday
• Brookings 5, Sioux Center 2
The Rangers scored twice in the second following a high-scoring first period.
Logan Bortnem sandwiched goals around a Max Kjelden tally to make it 3-0 a little more than 10 minutes in. Bortnem, Kjelden, Ike Johnson and Owen Schneider had assists.
The Storm scored twice late in the period to stay in it.
In the second, Talon Richter netted a power-play goal, with assists going to Brody Powers and Jamison Honkomp.
Ashton Witte lit the lamp with 4:27 left in the second to provide for the final margin.
Kade Brecher stopped 14 shots for the win between the pipes.
SC’s Evan Myers made 44 saves. Matthew King and Grady Duden scored.
Saturday
• Brookings 9, Watertown 0
Max Kjelden netted a hat trick as the Rangers outshot the Lakers 48-9.
Owen Schneider scored on a Logan Bortnem assist 20 seconds into the game; however, it was just 1-0 after a period before Brookings really got going. It scored three times in the middle period and added five tallies in the third.
Talon Richter and Breck Hirrschoff both had two goals and an assist.
Ashton Witte contributed a goal and three assists.
Trenton Pederson dished out four helpers.
Schneider added an assist to go with his opening goal.
Bortnem had two assists, with Jamison Honkomp and Ike Johnson both chipping in with one.
Kaden Gutormson made nine saves for the shutout win between the pipes.
Watertown’s Owen McBride stopped 39 shots.
Friday
• Brookings 3, Sioux Falls (2) 1
Three different Rangers lit the lamp in the victory.
Breck Hirrschoff got Brookings on the board first, scoring with 2:33 left in the first on assists from Alec Rice and Ashton Witte.
That’s where the score stood heading to the third, when Witte took advantage of a power play to make it a 2-0 game with 4:24 remaining in the game.
Max Kjelden added a tally with 3:48 left to push the margin to 3-0.
The Flyers’ Zach Vockler found the back of the net on assists from Maxwell Mohr and Jorgen Kouri with 2:49 to play.
Kade Brecher made 17 saves to earn the win between the pipes.
Sioux Falls’ Ryan Flanagan stopped 30 shots.
