Jacobson, Mayo 'kick the door open,' beat Fargo South/Shanley to win Kiwanis Festival championship

Dec. 31—Rochester Mayo learned a lesson on Tuesday night.

The Spartans learned what it takes to battle with a team that is as big — if not bigger than them — and is strong on its stick, winning puck battles and races to pucks.

Mayo took that lesson to heart after a two-goal loss to Fargo (N.D.) South/Shanley in the opening round of the Kiwanis Festival boys hockey tournament at Graham Arena I. Mayo bounced back to beat New Richmond (Wis.) in a semifinal of the six-team bracket on Wednesday, then scored early and held off South/Shanley in the tournament title game, the second meeting between the team in three days.

"The energy," Mayo junior forward Sam Jacobson said when asked what the difference was from Tuesday's game against South to Thursday's. "We came in (Thursday) with so much energy and willing to fight for one another. Definitely, energy was the difference tonight."

Jacobson and the usual suspects for the Spartans turned that energy into an early advantage.

Sam Jacobson — who has scored in all eight of Mayo's games this season — scored his team-leading ninth goal of the year just 2:33 into the game for a 1-0 lead.

"My linemates are working, feeding me and doing the heavy work," Jacobson said. "I'm just finding the back of the net. Huge credit to them, they're getting it done."

Jacobson credited his strong start to the season to those linemates. He played with Mason Leimbek and Cohen Ruskell over the final two tournament games, and played with hard-working junior Ethan Dennis prior to that.

"Ethan, he's just a grinder," Jacobson said. "He's willing to work for you and he makes you want to work for him. He's a great teammate.

"...Coach wanted to spark a little more offense (the past two games), so he switched up the lines a little and I love them so far."

Jacobson also added a pair of assists on Thursday and now has six assists to lead a deep Spartans team (6-2-0 overall) with 15 points.

"He's a really smart player, one of the guys who is very consistent in his energy and how he plays," Mayo coach Matt Notermann said of Jacobson. "He's predictable in a good way. A lot of high school kids will have their really good days and their bad days. Sammy's one of those consistent guys who can do anything for us."

Mayo took a 2-0 lead at the 9:23 mark of the first, when Jacob Brown recorded his third goal and sixth point of the season.

The Spartans continued to build on that lead in the second period, as Cohen Ruskell scored on the first shift of the period, 19 seconds in, then Mason Leimbek scored for a second consecutive night to make it 4-0 at the 10:09 mark. Jacobson and Will Sexton — who is averaging nearly a point per game this year — assisted on Leimbek's third goal in two nights.

"Our guys tonight, they were ready," Notermann said. "We've talked so much to them about preparation. They're big kids now and it's all about how you spend your whole day leading up to a game. We didn't have to say much today. They were ready and pretty much kicked the door open."

The Bruins answered back on power plays late in the second, though, as Zach Boren and Andrew O'Neill scored man-advantage goals to make it a 4-2 game after two.

Junior forward Matt Siems regained some momentum for Mayo late in the second, scoring with just 1:36 to play in the period for a 5-2 lead after two.

Fargo South/Shanley's Will Hofer answered early in the third, but Frank Goodman snapped a shot from the slot past Bruins goalie Aiden Bourke with 5:38 to play to make it a three-goal game again. The Bruins again pulled within two on a 4-on-4 goal with 3:03 to play, but that was all they could manage against Mayo's defense and goalie Tate Cothern (23 saves). Mayo also killed a key penalty late in the third period to preserve momentum. Goodman scored just seconds after that key kill.

"South's power play is very difficult to systematically approach," Notermann said. "It's so fluid. We had a good plan and we stopped them pretty well the first couple times, then they countered our adjustment and got a couple (power play goals). Then it was, we were doing everything we could to not let them get in our zone and get set up."

The Spartans won their sixth Festival title in the tournament's 28-year history. It's Mayo's second in the past four years, after also winning in 2017. Mayo's other championships came in 2014, 1998, 1996 and 1995.

"All this is supposed to be a process where you have these highlights," Notermann said. "This is the fun stuff, making memories."

MAYO 6, FARGO SOUTH/SHANLEY 4

Mayo 2-3-1 — 6

South/Shanley 0-2-2 — 4

Mayo: Sam Jacobson 1 goal, 2 assists; Cohen Ruskell 1 goal, 1 assist; Jacob Brown 1 goal, 1 assist; Matt Siems 1 goal, 1 assist; Mason Leimbek 1 goal; Will Sexton 1 assist; Frank Goodman 1 goal. Goalie: Tate Cothern 23 saves (27 shots).

South/Shanley: Zach Boren 2 goals; Andrew O'Neill 1 goal; Zach Skarperud 1 assist; Andrew Kankelfritz 1 assist. Goalie: Noel Olsonawski (8:10) 6 saves (7 shots); Aiden Bourke (42:50) 24 saves (29 shots).