Boys hockey: Red Wing dismantles Mankato East, advances to face West

Fifth-seeded Red Wing scored five goals in each of the first two periods as the Wingers destroyed No. 12 Mankato East (2-24) in the opening round of the Section 1A tournament.

The Wingers beat the Cougars 13-1 Tuesday at Prairie Island Arena.

“We showed up to play today,” Red Wing defenseman Jack Strusz said. “It showed on the scoreboard.”

It also showed on the score sheet. In all, 13 Wingers tallied at least one point. Strusz and Marcus Noesen each notched six-point games. Both juniors netted two goals and four assists.

Taylor Hanson, Ryan Rehder and Tyler Grove also scored two goals in the blowout.

Red Wing dominated possession of the puck and made the position of visiting goaltender the least desirable.

Mankato East, which played a different goaltender in each period, managed just one shot on goal in the first period while Dylan Meyer saw 25 shots. In the second stanza, Red Wing outshot the Cougars 23-2. The final shot totals were staggering: Red Wing 59, Mankato East 6.

“We did what we were supposed to do against that team, that’s the bottom line,” Red Wing coach Mike Belisle said.

The Wingers advance to play No. 4 Mankato West in the quarterfinals Thursday at the All Seasons Arena in Mankato, Minn.

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