4/24 - 4/26 Weekend Recap

The April 24-26 weekend saw the Johnnies first loss of the regular season.

The Johnnies faced off against Davenport University (Michigan) on Saturday, April 25th at Hopkins High School. Depending on which poll you looked at, the Johnnies were ranked either #1 or #3 in the nation and the Panthers of Davenport were ranked #5 or #6.

The Johnnies won the opening face-off and brought the ball into the Davenport zone. Some crisp passing and a great possession ended when the Johnnies' Brandon Brinkman (Junior, Midfield) sniped a top corner, thanks to some fancy footwork, to put the Johnnies up 1-0.

Davenport answered back in a hurry and pumped in three goals in the first quarter to take a 3-2 lead into the second quarter.

The Johnnies would most likely want to forget the second quarter. The Panthers have been outstanding in the second quarter or their games this year and this game was no exception. The Panthers out shot the Johnnies 9-5 and put six of those shots in the net. The Panthers went confidently into halftime with a 9-3 lead and out shooting the Johnnies 15-8. Davenport goalie Zach Higgins (Freshman) looked very good in net for the Panthers.

A disappointing sight to see was a second quarter injury to the Johnnies' Stu Van Ess (Junior, Goalie). While bring the ball up field on a clear, Van Ess was slashed violently on the right arm and immediately fell to the turf. Van Ess would leave the field under his own power and was taken to a hospital for X-rays. The X-rays were negative and he was diagnossed with a severe deep bone contusion. No penalty was called on the play.

After a halftime speech that refocused the Johnnies, the second half seemed to favor the home team. The Johnnies' would also need a big game from another one of their goalies and they got just that from Joe Nelson (Junior, Goalie).

The Johnnies out shot the Panthers 20-8 in the second half. The Johnnies got offense from Ryan Bailey (Junior, Midfield) and captain Brian Strauss (Senior, Attack) who had two goals each. Goals from captain Michael Freeman (Senior, Defense), Lance Wheeler (Senior, Midfield), Mike Burgeson (Junior, Attack), Sam Gondeck (Sophomore, Midfield) and an absolute snipe from Alex Fulton (Freshman, Attack) provided the drama as the Johnnies, who had been down by six at half, came within two goals of tying the game.

Unfortunately there was not enough time for the Johnnies to tie the game up. Davenport's Shawn Beer (Sophomore, Attack) notched four goals and Oliver Wade (Sophomore, Midfield) and Jordan Richtsmeier (Freshman, Attack) had two goals each. The Panthers also got scoring from Galvin Morris (Sophomore, Attack), Jordy Sayers (Sophomore, Midfield), Jordan Costa (Freshman, Midfield), and Jeff Samuels (Freshman, Midfield).

The final score of the game was 12-10 in favor of the Panthers.

The Johnnies would like to thank Davenport for coming to Minnesota and for a great game!

The Johnnies day was not over after that game however.

Ainsworth Park in St. Louis Park was the venue for the last game of the regular season for the Johnnies. A special thanks to the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire who made the trip up to the Twins Cities for the game!

With Van Ess being checked out at the hospital and Nelson resting after the last game, James Darcy (Sophomore, Goalie) got the start in net for the Johnnies.

The Johnnie seniors were announced as game captains and started the game, giving the starters from the Davenport game a rest.

The Blugolds caught the Johnnies off-guard and possibly played off a fatigued Johnnie team to jump out to a quick lead after the first quarter. Out playing a tired Johnnie team, the Blugolds added to the lead in the second and third quarters. They held the lead until the final quarter when the rested Johnnies' starters were put back into the game. The Johnnies pumped in 11 unanswered goals in the fourth quarter and won the game 18-11.

Thank you to everyone who attended the two games this weekend! A very special thank you to the two teams who crossed state borders to play the Johnnies! Another special thank you to all the photographers who have sent in their photos for the weekend!