Video (Part 1): Josh Waldron talks about Bloomington Jefferson's victory over Eagan in the South St. Paul Premier Tournament.

Josh Waldron’s perfect performance helped Bloomington Jefferson procure the South St. Paul Premier Tournament title.

The senior goaltender didn’t give up a goal, leading the Jaguars to a 6-0 victory over Eagan in the tournament championship game Monday night at the Wakota Arena.

Waldron rejected 20 shots, including making one spectacular save by going spread-eagle to stop the Wildcats from scoring an easy, momentum-shifting goal with seconds left in the second period.

“The kids knew Josh saved their bacon on that play,” Bloomington Jefferson coach Jeff Lindquist said. “Josh came up big for us there in a moment that kept the momentum in our favor.”  

Waldron’s performance against Eagan wasn’t a surprise to Lindquist, who said his senior goalie has been solid this year. The Jaguars, however, have struggled to put help in front of Waldron, helping contribute to the team's 7-5 record. 

“He stopped everything he should have and a couple he shouldn’t have, and that’s what you want out of a goaltender,” Lindquist said.

The Bloomington Jefferson gave Waldron help against Eagan as the Jaguars’ young defensemen made enough plays to help their goalie secure the shutout, Lindquist said.

Eagan (2-8-1) battled Bloomington Jefferson throughout the first period, but the Jaguars controlled the puck and outshot the Wildcats 14-7.

Junior forward Ryan Graff buried a shot off a pass from sophomore forward Noah Ganske to give Bloomington Jefferson a 1-0 lead with one second remaining before the first intermission.

“Noah slid the puck through about three sticks, and he just made my job easy,” Graff said. “I am pretty sure anyone in the stands could have hit that open of a net.”

The Jaguars added to their lead 1 minute into the second period when junior defenseman AJ Robbel knocked in a one-timer from the slot off a pass from senior captain Charlie Straus.

It was the first of three Bloomington Jefferson scores in the second, helping the Jaguars blow open the game. Sophomore forward Bob Lescarbeau scored at the 6:53 mark and senior defenseman Charlie Sweeney took advantage of a 4-on-4 situation to tally a goal that increased Bloomington Jefferson’s lead to 4-0 with 5 minutes to play.

The Jaguars added two more goals in the third period, with Sweeney and Graff each notching his second goal of the game.

While Bloomington Jefferson’s offense would seem to be worthy of praise for the victory, the Jaguars’ defense was more significant, said Graff, who added that Waldron was there whenever the team needed him.

“We can just count on him,” Graff said. “We don’t want to let him have to make huge saves, but when he does, he makes them every time.”

The Jaguars can take away plenty from their tournament victory, but a particular lesson stood out for Waldron.

“Finishing the entire game, that was one thing we stressed this entire weekend,” Waldron said. “Just overall physicality and finishing.”

Bloomington Jefferson played inspired throughout the weekend event after finding out Lindquist’s father died prior to the tournament. 

The Jaguars outscored opponents 13-1 three tournament games, allowing only the one goal to South St. Paul in the semifinals.

“It means a lot to us as a team,” Waldron said. “It meant a lot to him, and all of us, to go out and get the win.”

Video (Part 2): Josh Waldron talks about Bloomington Jefferson's victory over Eagan in the South St. Paul Premier Tournament.

First Report

Josh Waldron's shutout effort in net helped Bloomington Jefferson capture the 2014 South St. Paul Premier Tournament crown with a 6-0 victory over Eagan at the Wakota Arena in South St. Paul on Monday night.

The senior goaltender made 20 saves, including a spread-eagle stop to prevent an easy tap-in by Eagan with just seconds remaining in the second period.

The Jaguars’ offense gave Waldron plenty of support with six goals. Bloomington Jefferson led 1-0 after the first period and blew open the game with three goals in the second, helping Waldron sit a bit more comfortably in net.

Sophomore Bob Lescarbeau netted the put-away goal at the 6:53 mark in the second period to give the Jaguars a 3-0 lead, and Bloomington Jefferson cruised from there.

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