Boys hockey: Cards stomp Trojans in Section 3A tourney

WILLMAR - The Willmar boys hockey team entered the Section 3A playoffs on a seven-game losing streak, during which the Cardinals scored just 11 goals.
They almost matched that total to open the postseason against Worthington on Tuesday.
Josh Tinklenberg scored four goals and Isaac Kobenia scored three goals and had two assists as the Cardinals smoked the Trojans 10-2 at the Willmar Civic Center.
“We haven’t had a game like that all year,” said Willmar head coach Jamie Hagen. “We needed that.”
The Cardinals are 6-20 and play next at New Ulm on Thursday. Before Tuesday, Willmar’s last win was a 3-2 victory over New Ulm on Jan. 24 in Willmar.
“We had them (New Ulm) a couple of weeks ago, and we have to build off this win,” Hagen said. “We have to keep moving the puck and clean up a couple of things because that’s a tough place to play.”
The playoff opener promised to be high scoring from the get-go.
Tinklenberg scored on an assist from Austin Smith at 2:15 of the first period, and Worthington’s Andrew Johnson countered 90 seconds later to tie the game.
Tinklenberg struck again just 18 seconds after Johnson’s goal, and Isaac Kobienia made it 3-1 with a goal at 5:11 of the first.
Worthington tightened things up with an Alex Kremer goal late in the period, but it was all Willmar after that.
Tinklenberg and Kobienia both scored twice in the second period, and Smith scored twice in the third. Tanner Dahle capped the scoring with a goal at the 10:15 mark.
Willmar rifled 58 shots on Trojan goalie Gage Langerud. Cards’ goalie Jacob Anderson turned away seven shots.
Willmar 10, Worthington 2
Worthington (2-20-1) 2 0 0 - 2
Willmar (6-20) 3 4 3 - 10
FIRST PERIOD – Wil: Josh Tinklenberg (Austin Smith) 2:15 … Wor: Andrew Johnson (Alex Kremer) 3:36 … Wil: Tinklenberg 3:54 … Wil: Isaac Kobienia 5:11 … Wor: Kremer 15:43
SECOND PERIOD – Wil: Kobienia (Eli Slagter, Trevor Tschida) 5:34 … Wil: Kobienia (Nate Ackerman) 9:03 … Wil: Tinklenberg (Kobienia, Grant Duininck) 12:25 … Wil: Tinklenberg (Smith, Riley Grabow) 13:42
THIRD PERIOD – Wil: Smith (Tschida, Grabow) 0:37 … Wil: Smith (Kobienia, Ackerman) 6:45 pp … Wil: Tanner Dahle (Cooper Delp, Duininck) 10:15
GOALIE SAVES – Worthington: Gage Langerud 48 … Willlmar: Jacob Anderson 7