SARTELL -- Willmar's patience paid off Thursday as the Cardinals picked up their first Central Lakes Conference win of the season after beating Sartell 9-8 in overtime.
Sartell (2-7-0, 4-9-0) scored 1:32 into the third period to push its lead to 8-3, but Willmar (1-6-0, 5-9-0) responded with five goals in a span of just under 8½ minutes. Rory Schneider capped the third-period flurry that saw the Cardinals tie the game with 5:39 left in regulation.
Sartell got whistled for a tripping penalty with one second left in the third period. The power play spilled into the extra session and the Cardinals took advantage. Josh Mead made a pass to Josh Aslesen, who then fired a shot. Sartell goalie Luc Lev-esque stopped Aslesen's shot, but Mead got the rebound and put another on net that Levesque also rejected.
But Sartell couldn't clear the puck and Alex Berghuis was there to clean up Mead's shot and put it past Lecvesque.
Tyler Wahl scored twice and assisted on two other goals for Willmar, which also got two goals from Mead.
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Willmar 9, Sartell 8
Willmar (1-6-0, 5-9-0) 1 2 5 1 -- 9
Sartell (2-7-0, 4-9-0) 3 4 1 0 -- 8
FIRST PERIOD - Wil: Josh Mead (unassisted) 1:33 ... Sar: Fred Bidinger (Zach Upgren, Matt Ohman) 6:57, pp ... Sar: Bidinger (unassisted) 12:01 ... Sar: Upgren (Mike Anderson) 14:31
SECOND PERIOD - Sar: Josh Birkland (Upgren, Bidinger) :19 ... Wil: Tyler Wahl (Mike Johnson) 4:48 ... Sar: Bidinger (Upgren, Anderson) 6:19, pp ... Wil: Joel Schendel (Scott Gregg) 9:08 ... Sar: Birkland (Upgren, Ohman) 11:49 ... Sar: Anderson (Zach Hartman, Nate Williams) 13:45
THIRD PERIOD - Sar: Jason Moir (Williams, Anderson) 1:32 ... Wil: Gregg (Josh Aslesen, Dan Swanson) 3:00 ... Wil: Mitch Schneider (Schendel, Alex Berghuis) 5:46 ... Wil: Wahl (Swanson) 10:12, pp ... Wil: Mead (Wahl, Rory Schneider) 11:11 ... Wil: R. Schneider (Mead, Wahl) 11:21
OVERTIME - Wil: Berghuis (Mead, Aslesen) :21, pp
Goalie saves - Willmar: Jeff Reed 7-0-*-*-7, Kevin Maxfield *-7-9-0-16; Sartell: Luc Levesque 7-10-15-2-34
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NEXT -- Willmar: Jan. 19, home vs. River Lakes, 7:30 p.m.
