Rogers boys hockey beats Elk River in high-scoring thriller

The Royals opened the scoring at 3:47 of the first period on the power play when sophomore forward Sam Ranallo beat Elks senior goaltender Reilly Eason for his 11th goal of the season and fourth power-play goal of the season on a one-timer.

Elk River tied the game when junior forward Marcus Fritel scored an unassisted, even-strength goal at 7:01 of the first, tying the game at 1-1. It was Fritel’s fourth goal of the season. Rogers retook the lead when sophomore forward Matt Lomen scored his third goal of the season at 12:53 of the first period. Then, junior forward Ty Frederickson scored at 16:37 to give the Royals a 3-1 lead. It was Frederickson’s third goal of the season.

The Elks used their power play to tie the game in the second period. Elk River sophomore forward Cayden Casey scored at 4:57 of the second period when his wrist shot from the slot beat Rogers sophomore goaltender Cade Chapman. It was Casey’s 13th goal of the season and third power-play goal. Junior forward Blake Johnson scored at 6:10 of the second to tie the game. It was his sixth goal of the season and fourth power-play goal. The Royals regained the lead when sophomore forward Tanner Weis scored his sixth goal of the season at 8:03 of the second period when he deflected a wrist shot from sophomore defender Chase Cheslock past Eason. After two periods, Rogers lead 4-3.

Sophomore forward Blaise Schutt tied the game for Elk River when he scored on the power play at 7:44 of the third period. It was Schutt’s 14th goal of the season and fourth power-play goal.

The Royals broke the tie when sophomore forward Trent Peluf scored a power-play goal at 15:25 of the third period. The Rogers fans erupted in noise as the Royals retook the lead. Weis sealed Rogers’ seventh win in 14 games when he scored an empty-net goal at 16:17 of the third period. It was Weis’ second goal of the game and seventh of the season.

The final score was 6-4, with Rogers winning.

Offensive Player of the Game: Weis’ two goals and one assist added up to a 3-point night on Saturday. He had his second multi-point and multi-goal game of the season on Saturday. He scored two goals and recorded two assists in the Royals’ 14-4 win over Spring Lake Park on Thursday, Jan. 28, at Fogerty Arena in Blaine.

Defensive Player of the Game: While neither goaltender was spectacular, Chapman made 39 saves for his third win of the season.

What’s Next: Rogers will host Centennial (5-2-1, 5-2-1) on Saturday, Feb. 20, at 3 p.m. at Rogers Activity Center. The Cougars defeated the Royals 5-3 in their most-recent meeting on Thursday, Feb. 13, at Rogers Activity Center. Elk River will face Totino-Grace (3-2-1, 3-2-1) on Saturday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. at Furniture and Things Community Event Center in Elk River. The Eagles defeated the Elks 6-5 in overtime in their most-recent game on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2020, at Brooklyn Park Community Center.