Stoulil scores 4 late goals in OT win

Published 10:51 am Sunday, December 11, 2011

Austin goalie Rainer-Londino Green reaches out to stop a puck at Riverside Arena Saturday. -- Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com

Whatever Austin hockey player Marcus Stoulil did before his game against Dodge County on Saturday, he should probably do it before every game.

In his first game back from a knee injury he suffered during the football season, Stoulil scored four goals in a 17-minute span, including the game-tying and game-winning goal as the Packers beat the Wildcats 6-5 in overtime in Riverside Arena.

“I was running on empty in the third period, but I had to pull some gas out of the tank because it was getting too close,” Stoulil said.

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Stoulil forced overtime when he skated free and powered a slap-shot off the chest pad of Wildcat goalie Eric Olson with just 59 seconds left in regulation.

Austin’s Ethan Larson skates past Dodge County’s Thor Knutson in Riverside Arena Saturday. -- Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com

His game-winning goal in overtime was much softer.

After getting free for a one-on-one with Olson, Stoulil tried a spin move but lost the puck, which trickled between his and Olson’s legs to sneak into the net just 45 seconds into the extra period.

“I wanted to shoot, but then he stayed in my lane and I didn’t have much of an angle, so I tried to bring it back to the middle and he stayed with me,” Stoulil said of the shot. “Then I went with the spin and I didn’t even touch it. The next thing I know they were saying it was a goal. I’m still in shock.”

The Packers (2-2 overall) showed a lot of resiliency as the Wildcats (0-2 overall) scored four go-ahead goals.

Austin had the answer every time as Preston Moe slammed one in after a flurry at the net to make it 2-2 in the second period, and Stoulil scored three-game tying goals in the third period.

Two of Stoulil’s slap-shot goals came off of pin-point passes from junior forward Ethan Larson.

“He’s a goal scorer and it was my job to get him the puck,” Larson said. “We knew we had to keep working and we knew the more shots we took, the better chances we’d have of putting one through. We just had to go out there and play our own game.”

The win was a much needed one for the Packers, who were coming off a 12-3 loss to Albert Lea and a 4-3 overtime loss where they blew a late lead.

“I said right before the overtime, we’re not going down like we did in La Crescent, we’re going to win this game,” Stoulil said. “We went out and played hard and we finished it.”

The Packers were able to finish their comeback by sticking together and staying focused.

Austin's Tony Baudler, left, and Cole Nicol, right, battle Dodge County's Thor Knutson for the puck in Riverside Arena Saturday. -- Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com

“We knew we had to press pretty hard,” Larson said. “We can’t get down on ourselves this year and we can’t start yelling at each other.”

Austin goalie Rainer Londino-Green had 36 saves in the win.

SCORING SUMMARY

Dodge County 0 3 2 0 — 5

Austin 1 1 3 1 — 6

First period

(A) Nick Castellano (Preston Moe) 1:00

Second period

(DC) Bryan Knesel (powerplay) (Sam Robinson) 1:55

(DC) Gordon Law (Brock Leisen) 8:30

(A) Moe 13:04

(DC) Stefan Rechtzigel (Gordon Law, Thor Knutson) 14:15

Third period

(A) Marcus Stoulil :44

(DC) Law (Billy Steinberg) 4:40

(A) Stoulil (Ethan Larson) 6:39

(DC) Law (Rechtzigel) 10:21

(A) Stoulil (Larson) 16:01

OT

(A) Stoulil :45

Shots: Austin — 47; Dodge County — 41

Powerplays: Austin 0-for-6; Dodge County (1-for-3)