A closer look at this Big 9 Conference tilt between Northfield and Rochester Mayo reveals offensive trends that dictate the success of each squad.
For better or worse, Northfield (13-4, 8-2) relies on Carson VanZuilen (15-26-41), Devon Jirik (16-22-38) and Garrett Sawyer (17-14-31) for offense. The trio have 48 of the Raiders’ 72 goals, but stopping them is possible, as they have just two goals and five assists combined in the Raiders’ four losses.
One team that’s had success shutting down Northfield's big three is Rochester Mayo. The Spartans beat the Raiders 5-1 on Dec. 13 as the Raiders' trio managed to finish with just two assists.
Goalie Jacob Gathje stopped 25 shots in that game, but defense can't be the only strategy in the game plan for the rematch with Northfield.
The Spartan offense boasts freshman Maddox Fleming, who’s among the state leaders in points (44) and hasn’t been reined in often this season. Fleming has been held without a point in just three games this season — and Mayo is 0-2-1 in those contests — so any scoring from him will be a good sign for the Spartans (10-4-2, 4-3-1).