St. Paul Johnson doesn’t mind scoring the ugly goals.
The Governors settled in around the Luverne net and outmuscled the Cardinals to slam home several loose pucks in a 6-5 victory in the first of three games held at St. Paul’s Holman Field on Saturday as part of the ninth annual Hockey Day Minnesota.
“We practice it a lot,” Johnson freshman defenseman Carl Fish said. “We try to get stronger in front of the net so we can score goals like that.”
Fish showed he has picked up on the style of play. Fish swerved around a Luverne defender and deflected a wrist shot from just above the left circle past Cardinals goalie Connor Crabtree to score the game-winner for the Governors with 1:02 remaining in the third period.
“Playing in front of all these people and to score the game-winning goal, it’s amazing,” said Fish, who scored his first two varsity goals in the game.
Fish’s goal in the second period was one of the five St. Paul Johnson scored in the first 11 minutes of the period, staking the Governors to a 5-1 lead.
Luverne rallied to tie the game before Fish notched his second goal, which was his fourth point of the season.
Playing physical and scoring ugly goals are only two skills Fish has improved while being a member of the Governors’ varsity squad.
He he also has become more vocal and assertive, overcoming some timidness he showed at the beginning of season, said Justin Howell, a three-year varsity player and St. Paul Johnson’s leading scorer.
“He’s starting to come out and be a good hockey player,” Howell said.
Howell should know. He led the Governors in goals in each of his previous seasons and has team-high in goals (10), assists (11) and points (21) this season. Howell increased his career totals to 37 goals and 64 points after tallying a goal and an assist against the Cardinals.
The Governors’ strength is their mix of veteran leadership and youth, and they are out to prove they are a team to be taken seriously, longtime St. Paul Johnson coach Moose Younghans said.
“We feel that we’re a competitive team, too,” Younghans added, citing recent games with Minneapolis, South St. Paul and North St. Paul as proof.
The Governors (11-5-1) lost their first matchups of season with each team, but responded with wins over all three in the rematches.
That competitiveness made it easy for Younghans to tell his team to go for the winning goal with the score tied and time winding down against Luverne.
“Just play to win,” Younghans said. “Don’t play ‘not to lose.’ Play to win.”
The source of the Governors' inspired play was not only inside the players, but on their faces as well. St. Paul Johnson Governors sported eye black stickers that read “East Side Pride.”
It’s a sentiment that Howell and Fish take to heart every time they step on the ice.
“I started playing hockey on the East Side because all my friends were,” Fish said. “It’s a huge honor.”
Howell, who was born and raised on the East Side, said recording a marquee win over Luverne (16-3-0), ranked No. 15 in the Class 1A coaches poll, is simply a way of showing his thanks for the always strong fan support.
“(Our fans) support us all the way,” Howell said. “It’s nice to give back to the hometown team.”
