Boys hockey: Rested Rosemount edges Chaska, 3-2

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The way the schedule worked out this season, the Rosemount boys hockey team had just one game stretched over a 12-day period.

The break came at a good time for the Irish.

Dealing with an illness that ran through the team in mid-December was tough enough. Dealing with the illnesses in the middle of a stretch of games on three straight days likely wore out Rosemount. The scheduled layoff allowed the team to return to health.

A week away from games helped the team prepare for Chaska last week. The result was a 3-2 Irish win at Rosemount.

“The kids were really excited,” Rosemount coach Scott Macho said. “It was a team we should have beaten and I think the kids came out and handled it well. It was the first game all season that we had our full lineup in. It was a big plus to finally get everybody back. We have a few out with the flu bug this week to. We’re hoping they can make the trip to Duluth. We’ll see what happens. But it was exciting for everyone to be in the lineup, to be able to roll lines and get back to our special teams the way they should have been.”

Another five days later and the Irish started play in the Duluth Denfeld tournament this week. After the time away from competition, playing in a holiday tournament is a refreshing change.

“It’s actually the first time we’ve played a holiday tournament in a long time,” Macho said. “Normally we just pick our non-conference opponents. In our conference we play so many conference games, we just try and pick a few non-conference teams that will be the best we can play.

“We were fortunate to be invited up for this tournament. There are good teams and it will be a good first tournament for us. It will be fun to go up, be with the kids, experience something different and get away for a little bit.”

Prior to their departure, the Irish earned a confidence builder against Chaska.

Rosemount scored twice in the first period and held on for the one-goal victory.

Justin Hummelgard had a goal and assist. Lucas Haase and Mike Cossalter scored the other goals.

Ryan Anderson, Andy Gustafson and Connor Langfield tallied assists.

Hank Fairchild made 18 saves in goal for Rosemount, which outshot the Hawks 26-20.

“We played a little sluggish the first five minutes then started to pick it up,” Macho said. “They scored in the third, but we didn’t panic. We kept running our system and responded well. The guys didn’t get negative. They came back and held them off.”

The Irish return to the metro area with a game at Hopkins on Jan. 4. Their next home game is Jan. 11 against Lakeville South.

Tags: boys hockey, sports, rosemount, irish, prep