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Express Go For Four Against Blizzard

January 13, 2006 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Owatonna Express News Release


OWATONNA, Minn. - Their five-game post-Christmas swoon now a distant memory, the Southern Minnesota Express will go for their fourth win in a row Saturday when the Alexandria Blizzard visit the Four Seasons Centre for a 7:05 p.m. contest. It will be difficult to top the drama and excitement of Friday's win however, a stunning come-from-behind victory over first-place Fargo-Moorhead by a score of 3-2. Ryan Guentzel (photo above by Don Boesen) was the man of the hour for the Express, beating Jets' goalie BJ O'Brien under the crossbar to cap the third-period comeback with his powerplay goal at 10:40. It was Southern Minnesota's first victory in regulation over the Central Division's best team and the first time the Jets have lost this season when leading a game after the opening period.

Southern Minnesota led early on James Gaulrapp's goal midway through the first period before lapsing into a defensive funk that yielded 19 FM shots and two goals. After both teams failed to score in the second, the Express stormed out of the gate in the third. Southern Minnesota was dominant, outshooting the Jets 20-9 and pulling even on Sean Murphy's league-leading 25th goal of the season. Murphy was left all alone in front of O'Brien at 3:28 of the third and made the most of the opportunity with a quick wrist shot to the top of the net. That set the stage for Guentzel's heroics, which came in the waning seconds of a four-minute powerplay. Express captain Jeff Carlson fired a hard shot wide of the FM net but the puck ricocheted off the end wall to the front of the Jets' goal. That's where Guentzel cashed in with his 12th goal of the season.

Southern Minnesota then ramped up their defensive play, winning the majority of the battles, and holding off the potent Fargo-Moorhead attack until the final buzzer. It was Southern Minnesota's 20th - and perhaps most important - win of the season. It marked the first time that Nick Hopper was able to outduel the spectacular O'Brien as he stopped 32 shots for the Express. The victory pulled Southern Minnesota to within five points of the first-place Jets. Meanwhile, the Blizzard dropped a 6-3 decision to Bismarck, moving Alexandria into fourth place and the Bobcats into third. The Express and Blizzard will play Saturday in Owatonna and Sunday in Alexandria.

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