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Andover tallies late goal to edge Duluth Marshall at home

By Drew Herron, SportsEngine, 01/27/18, 10:00AM CST

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With their win over the Hilltoppers, the Huskies have won seven of their last eight contests.


Andover junior forward Charlie Schoen moves the puck on the wing with Duluth Marshall senior defenseman Willy Stauber in pursuit. Schoen would score the game winner in the third period to lift the Huskies to a 3-2 win. Photo by Drew Herron, SportsEngine

Click photos to view the entire gallery from the game.

Andover’s hockey history is thin, younger than most of its varsity players.

But this group of Huskies, ranked No. 9 in the Class 2A coaches’ poll, and sitting atop the North Division in the Northwest Suburban Conference, are confidently writing their own chapter where the future seems abundantly bright.

If indeed Andover is a program on the rise, Saturday’s 3-2 win over No. 16-2A Duluth Marshall, which is a section mate, offered a further testament to the ascension of hockey in central Anoka county.

“I’ve been here three years, and I’ve seen when we were really bad, and I’ve seen where we are really good,” said junior and leading scorer Charlie Schoen. “I’m excited to see what the future holds for us.”

Schoen buried a five-hole shot on a breakaway with less than four minutes remaining Saturday afternoon to lift the Huskies past Duluth Marshall, and with it clinched the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Section 7 playoffs. The win was also their fourth in a row, and seventh in their last eight games as Andover looks to be surging towards the postseason. 

Tied at two heading into the third, Andover (15-4-1, 7-1-0) had to kill two penalties in the final period before landing its chance when Schoen converted.

Marshall (13-7-1, 2-2-1) played physical and outhit the Huskies, and significantly outshot them as well, finishing ahead 33-23 in that facet, making the Huskies earn everything in the third period.

“We had to battle through it,” Andover coach Mark Manney said. “When you don’t have your feet going, and you fumble the puck around, a physical team is the last one you want to play. They’ll make you pay for everything.”

He added: “They are a tough team. I really liked the way Marshall played. They’re big, mean, and they’ve got about seven or eight guys who we wish were on our bench.”

Schoen said the team needed to shift mindsets during the first intermission, and the adjustment made for the better.

“We were complaining a little bit, but our coaches told us to focus and try to play (Marshall’s) style of game a little more,” he said. “When we played more physical, we got more chances.”

Junior goaltender Ben Fritsinger stopped 31 shots to earn win between the pipes, while the Huskies rolled four lines in front of him, all of whom showed a willingness to get in lanes and block shots, and muscling its way through the penalty kills.

“It’s courageous, especially the way (Levi) Stauber shoots it,” Manney said. “If you're 10 feet away from that and you see the windup, your best instinct might be to climb the glass. We’ve never had a team as gritty as this.”

Undefeated at home this season, Andover looks to add a boys’ banner to the community center rafters to go along with the bevy of achievements from the girls’ program. 

“There’s a lot of competition with the girls teams, because they are very good,” Manney said. “We are happy when they win, but we don’t want to fall behind them too far. And the youth association has been sparked by that too. It’s an exciting time for Andover hockey.”

For a team closing in on its school record for wins in a season (19), and having taken a big step forward from last year’s record of 10-14-2, the Huskies are seeing the fruits of their labor as the team chases its first ever division crown.

“In the past, we’ve always had a few guys who were really dedicated,” Schoen said. “But this past summer and this year, everyone on the team is trying to get better, and to try to make our team better. We all want to win, and everyone is willing to work for it.”


Duluth Marshall defenseman Nolan Krenzen knocks Andover forward Gunnar Thoreson off the puck during the second period Saturday in Andover. Photo by Drew Herron, SportsEngine

First Report

Andover junior forward Charlie Schoen buried a five-hole shot on a breakaway with less than four minutes remaining Saturday afternoon to lift the Huskies past Duluth Marshall 3-2.

The Huskies, ranked No. 9 in the Class 2A coaches’ poll, clinched the No. 2 seed in Section 7 with the win. They've now won four straight and seventh of their last eight games.

Tied at two heading into the third, Andover (15-4-1, 7-1-0) had to kill two penalties in the final period before landing its chance when Schoen converted.

Duluth Marshall (13-7-1, 2-2-1) played physical and outhit the Huskies, while significantly outshooting them as well, finishing ahead 33-23 in that facet; but Andover's Ben Fritsinger stopped 33 shots, while his counterpart Cam Brandt stopped 23 of 26 shots he faced for Marshall.

Willy Stauber and Levi Stauber each finished with a goal and an assist for the No. 16-2A Hilltoppers.


Duluth Marshall senior Levi Stauber (21) fires a shot from the top of the point during a Hilltoppers' power play in the third period. Huskies' goalie Ben Fritsinger eyes the puck from between the pipes. Photo by Drew Herron, SportsEngine

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