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Stealing the show

By MN Hockey Hub staff, 02/29/12, 10:00PM CST

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Jake McCann's seven points lift Roseville over St. Paul Johnson, into section championship


Roseville's Jake McCann celebrates one of his three goals on Wednesday, Feb. 29. Photo by Jon Laqua.

Coming into Wednesday's game at the State Fairgrounds Coliseum, the most points Roseville forward Jake McCann had tallied in a game this season was three.

By the time the buzzer sounded to signal the first intermission, he had tied that total. 

By the time the second frame was over, he had doubled his own record. When all was said and done in Roseville’s 7-3 clubbing of St. Paul Johnson on Feb. 29, the senior had a total of seven points, or a stick in every goal for the Raiders. 

“A great effort by him, he’s probably one of our fastest guys on the team,” Roseville coach Jeff Pauletti said after the game. “As you saw one of our goals late there, he came in and wrapped it around the net, beat their guys. His deal was everything at the net.” 

McCann started off the scoring for the Raiders when he found space in the slot and beat St. Paul Johnson’s goaltender Sam Moberg low and glove side. The pass was made to McCann by linemate and senior Tom Bartel, a trend that repeated throughout the game. 

After McCann’s goal, Madden came next, scoring two more in the first period which were both assisted by McCann. 

Roseville’s line of McCann, Bartel, and Madden produced fifteen points and pounded the Governors.


Roseville's Jake McCann finds space to move the puck. Photo by Jon Laqua.

“Our line of McCann, Madden, and Bartel really played a strong game for us,” Pauletti said. “I think speed was their best thing all day, and they actually got pucks to the net.

"That was one of our keys in our game plan was to take advantage of that area ’10 by 10’ from the net and I think most of their goals came from that area.” 

The Raiders started the game with speed and intensity, springing on the Governors both on the ice and on the scoreboard. The quick start dashed any hopes St. Paul Johnson had to repeat its performance in Section 4AA quarterfinals upset victory over White Bear Lake. 

“Jumping on the team early right away gives us a huge confidence advantage,” Pauletti said. “Being down by a goal or two goals like the last game [against North St. Paul], it really puts a whole new perspective on pushing and pressing and trying to do things we’re really not used to in terms of what our system is.”

Normally a defensive-minded squad with low scoring output, the Raiders were out of their grove as a team, which is strange to say after scoring seven goals. 

“I don’t know if we really liked the change,” McCann said of the transition from defense to offense. “Like I said we were just trying to shoot from everywhere. A lot of our guys, we were trying to use our speed, and we made some good shots tonight.”

With the win, the Raiders advance to the Section 4AA championship game on Friday, March 2 at the State Fair Warner Coliseum where they will take on No. 10-ranked Hill-Murray. 

Both Pauletti and McCann stressed that the Raiders are excited for the game, and have no plans of shying away from a big name opponent.

“I’ve been preaching to these guys all year, we just want an opportunity to play in the finals,” Pauletti said. “I don’t care if it was Stillwater, Mounds View, Tartan, whoever. We just an opportunity and right now we’ve been given that opportunity and with playoffs anything can happen as you’ve seen.”

-- Walker Orenstein, MN Hockey Hub staff


Jake McCann hustles past a St. Paul Johnson defender. Photo by Jon Laqua.

Statistics, Summary

Game Recap

Jake McCann registered seven points (three goals, four assists) and Greg Madden scored a hat trick as Roseville defeated St. Paul Johnson, 7-3, in the Section 4AA semifinals on Wednesday, Feb. 29.

Also contributing an assist, Madden tied teammate Tom Bartel as the pair of senior forwards ended with four points each. Bartel had one goal and three assists.

Madden's hat trick was his first of the season.

Raiders' defensemen Austin Colvard and Mark Debace also provided an assist each.

St. Paul Johnson senior Jay Dickman had a point on each of the Governors' goals -- scoring once along with two assists. 

Mark Terry and Bryan Stnadly scored for St. Paul Johnson and Jake Gallivan had two assists.

Samual Moberg -- an eighth grade goaltender -- played all 1,390 minutes, 41 seconds of the Governors' season and finished with 23 saves as St. Paul Johnson finished the year with a 14-12-1 record.

Roseville (17-8-2) advances to the Section 4AA championship on Friday, March 2, at the State Fair Warner Coliseum at 6 p.m. where the No. 3 Raiders will face top-seeded Hill-Murray.

-- Michael Murakami, MN Hockey Hub staff


St. Paul Johnson forward Jay Dickman fires a shot. Photo by Jon Laqua.

1.  Jake McCann, Roseville
Easy choice here as McCann collected a point on each of the Raiders' seven goals -- scoring three and assisting on the other four. Proving to be a constant offensive threat, St. Paul Johnson could not find a way to stop Roseville's senior forward as everything McCann touched seemed to result in a goal. McCann now has 29 points on the year (13 goals, 16 assists).

2.  Greg Madden, Roseville
If you were making a list of Raiders who could score a hat trick in the Section 4AA semifinals, Madden's name might not have been at the top. After all, the senior forward had scored a total of five goals during the season heading into the game against St. Paul Johnson. No matter. Madden stepped up in a big game to provide an even bigger performance scoring his first hat trick of the season and also contributing an assist.

3.  Jay Dickman, St. Paul Johnson
If Roseville's Jake McCann earned a star for having a point on each of his team's goals, than Dickman certainly deserves a star for the same feat; scoring once and having two assists. Granted it was in a loss, Dickman showed why the Governors -- with an knack for scoring timely goals -- made it to the Section 4AA semifinals and rarely left the ice until leaving it for good at the game's end. Dickman finished his senior season with 68 points (45 goals, 23 assists).

-- Michael Murakami, MN Hockey Hub staff

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