by Scott DCamp
Sports Editor
Crookston senior goaltender Teegyn Johnson made the most of his second start of the season Friday, Dec. 26 with a 25-save shutout in the Pirates’ 4-0 win over Grafton/Park River at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Thief River Falls.
Friday’s game was the first varsity game of the 2025 Ralph Engelstad Arena Hockey Classic. The Pirates recored the first tally of the contest with 1:18 remaining in the first period with Garrett Fischer finding the back of the net for his 15th goal of the season. Jay Reese and Dylan Larson recorded assists on the play.
The Pirates didn’t wait long to add to their lead. Forty seconds into the second period, Liam Larson scored with an assist by Gavin Aakhus to make it 2-0 Pirates.
The Pirates stayed on the attack and took advantage of a Grafton/Park River tripping penalty with a Greyson Ecker power play goal 3:16 into the second period. Reese recorded his second assist of the game on Ecker’s goal and the Pirate lead stood at three goals.
The Pirates were in front by the same 3-0 score when Reese scored his third point and first goal of the evening with 5:27 left to play. Fischer was credited with an assist on Reese’s goal as the Pirates skated to win number seven.
Crookston was looking for win number eight when it faced Tartan to open the second day of the Ralph Engelstad Arena Hockey Classic. The Pirates controlled the puck for most of the game, outshooting the Titans 39-14 in regulation. Goals were even, however, with each team burying the puck just once for a 1-1 tie after 51 minutes were in the books.
The Pirates scored first on a Tate Hamre marker with 4:44 remaining in the opening period, with Aakhus and Reese on the assists.
The score remained 1-0 in favor of the Pirates through the second period and first six and a half minutes of the third period. The Titans tied the game with a Benny McLellan goal at the 6:39 mark, with assists by Charley Campbell and Tyler Pavel.
The Pirates had two chances to end the game in overtime, but both shots were defended by Tartan goalie Nathan McGuire. The Titans took full advantage with Devon Shier scoring the game-winner. McLellan and Joshua Markfort assisted on the game-winning goal.
McGuire earned the win for the Titans with a 40-save performance. Brady Chandler took the tough-luck loss for the Pirates after saving 13 of the 15 shots he faced. 
