Storm boys win in final seconds

Mike Morales scored the game-winning goal with just 44 seconds left in the game and Will Johnson made 27 saves as the Morris Benson Area boys' hockey team got past the Prairie Centre North Stars by a score of 2-1 Thursday at the Lee Community Center in Morris.

Tyler Hansen carried the puck into the North Star end and slipped a pass to Morales who was driving to the goal from the left wing and Morales beat goalie Marcus Tomsche on the short side for the win.

The game was even throughout as Prairie Centre got their only goal of the game from Colby Deters in the first period and the score stayed at 1-0 through the first two periods.

Johnson had 10 saves in the first period and seven in the second while Tomsche stopped all nine Storm attempts in the first and all five in the second to preserve the slim lead.

The Storm finally got the tying goal from Ethan Ratliff-Crain who scored off of a Brady Valnes assist with 9:26 remaining in the game. MBA then had to kill off over a minute of a 5-on-3 North Star power-play advantage with just under seven minutes remaining to keep the score at 1-1 and to set up the Morales late-game heroics. Third period saves were 10 for Johnson and eight for Tomsche.

This was a very important win for the Storm as it was their first Section 6A game of the year as they head into the upcoming seeding for the Section tournament. They also will meet Section 6A foe Wadena/Deer Creek and have a rematch with Prairie Centre in the next two weeks.

MBA's record is now at 10-7-1.