MAKING AN IMPACT — Fairmont Area’s Hank Artz (22) checks Minnesota River’s Seth Reicks (16) to the ice during Big South Conference hockey action Thursday night at Martin County Arena in Fairmont. (Photo by Charlie Sorrells)

FAIRMONT — Fairmont Area sophomore Lincoln Becker scored the first goal of his varsity hockey career to stake the hometown Cardinals to a 1-0 lead with 7:29 remaining in the opening period Thursday night.

Becker’s achievement came off a double-assist from Dom Hegdal and Eli Anderson.

Less than 2 minutes later, however, Minnesota River senior forward Seth Reicks and his Bulldog teammates proved difficult to leash at Martin County Arena in Fairmont.

Reicks, Alex Schaffer and Finn Gibson each generated three points, while netminder Logan Moe stopped 22 Fairmont Area shots on goal to pace Minnesota River’s 7-1 Big South Conference triumph.

“We had good balance tonight,” said Bulldogs head coach Shea Roehrkasse.

Indeed. Schaffer topped the scoring charts with a pair of goals to double his regular-season output in that category, Gibson pushed his solid assist total to nine helpers by the end of the regular schedule, while Reicks hit double figures in goals (10) and improved his assists to seven.

Judson Narum, one of six different Bulldogs to net goals Thursday night, drilled the equalizer inside the left pipe off a Connor Bjorling assist to draw the St. Peter–Le Sueur-Henderson co-op program even on the scoreboard at the 5:37 juncture in the first frame.

Reicks then shifted the momentum in the Bulldogs’ direction by lending his stick-handling skills to back-to-back goals within a 43-second span before the first intermission.

Reicks charged hard to the crease before flipping the puck to Mason Reinhardt for a partial open-net tap-in for a 2-1 lead with 45 seconds to go in the first. Reicks then blasted home a left-point laser off a pass from Brady Sowder to light the lamp with only 2 seconds to go before the break.

Ahead 3-1, Gibson and Schaffer combined for the Bulldogs’ first goal of the second period with 13:49 remaining. Gibson wristed a right-to-left liner into the twine off Schaffer’s crossing pass.

Schaffer then was the beneficiary of Reicks’ lead pass along the right wing, carrying the puck past Cardinal defenders before zipping a crossing shot for a 5-1 margin only 39 seconds later.

Gibson fed Tyler Erickson for an ice-hugging goal at the 10:33 mark of the second period before Schaffer appeared to have broken his stick via a 45-degree angle shot that trickled past Fairmont Area goalie Bryant Armitage with 3:41 left in the second. Gibson recorded an assist on the play that created running time in the third period at 7-1.

Anderson’s first-period breakaway, Kaiden Musser’s right-wing rocket and Hudson Artz’s low-skidding shot that Moe smothered proved the Cardinals’ best offensive opportunities during the first period.

Moe made a kick save on Brock Lutterman’s close-range blast in the second period before the Minnesota River goalie turned away Hank Artz’s riser from the point in the third.

Armitage stopped 15 shots on goal for the Cardinals in relief between the pipes, while O’Connor recorded eight stops.

Fairmont Area (0-17) awaits the outcome of the Section 3A seeding meeting for its first-round playoff opponent on Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.

St. Peter (9-4) awaits the outcome of the Section 1A seeding meeting for its first-round playoff opponent on Tuesday at an ice arena and time to be determined.

MN River 3-4-0–7

Fairmont 1-0-0–1

Scoring Plays

1st Period

FA–Lincoln Becker (Dom Hegdal, Eli Anderson), 7:29.

MNR–Judson Narum (Connor Bjorling), 5:37.

MNR–Mason Reinhardt (Seth Reicks), 0:45.

MNR–Seth Reicks (Brady Sowder), 0:02.

2nd Period

MNR–Finn Gibson (Alex Schaffer), 13:49.

MNR–Alex Schaffer (Seth Reicks), 13:10.

MNR–Tyler Erickson (Finn Gibson), 10:33.

MNR–Alex Schaffer (Finn Gibson), 3:41.

3rd Period

No scoring.

Shots on goal: Minnesota River 10-14-6–30; Fairmont Area 9-8-6–23.

Saves: Rachel O’Connor (FA) 7-1-x–8, Bryant Armitage (FA) x-9-6–15; Logan Moe (MNR) 8-8-6–22.

Penalties: Minnesota River 1-for-2 minutes; Fairmont Area none.

Power-play chances: Minnesota River none; Fairmont Area 0-for-1.

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Girls Hockey

Minnesota River 3, Fairmont Area 0 — Anna Pavlo scored once and dished out an assist to help power the Bulldogs past the Cardinals on Thursday night.

Darbi Dunning put the Bulldogs on the board in the first period with a helper from Sophia Doherty at the 10:59 juncture.

Nicole McCabe used Pavlo’s assist with 55 seconds left to send the Bulldogs into the first break up 2-0.

After a scoreless second period, Pavlo scored unassisted for the lone third-period goal at the 6:30 mark to widen Minnesota River’s final advantage.

The Bulldogs narrowly outshot Fairmont Area 29-27 in the matchup.

Fairmont Area netminder Hadley Artz made 26 saves between the pipes.

Fairmont Area (4-12) closes out its regular season by playing host to Morris/Benson Area at 1 p.m. Saturday at Martin County Arena in Fairmont.

FA 0-0-0–0

MR 2-0-1–3

Scoring Plays

1st Period

MR–Darbi Dunning (Sophia Doherty), 10:59.

MR–Nicole McCabe (Anna Pavlo), 0:55.

2nd Period

No scoring.

3rd Period

MR–Anna Pavlo (unassisted), 6:30.