Lumberjacks roll over Bloomington Jefferson, 5-0

It was the Christian Galatz show on Saturday afternoon as the junior forward scored four of Cloquet-Esko-Carlton’s five goals as the Lumberjacks downed Bloomington Jefferson 5-0 during the Santa’s Home for the Holidays Celebration in Cloquet.

The Lumberjacks came out and dominated the first half of the first period by continually peppering Jefferson goalie Basil Kamsheh with shots. They were justly rewarded when Galatz hammered home the first goal of the game at 4:01 of the period on assists from Aaron Moore and Hunter Finnila. CEC led 1-0 after the opening stanza.

“Galatz is a very gifted player offensively,” said CEC coach Shea Walters. “He is at his best when he is making others around him better and using his grittiness and tenacity effectively.”

Second-period action saw the Jaguars turn the shot table at the beginning of the period in their favor, but they were unable to get anything past CEC net minder Owen Carlson. It wasn’t until 9:21 of the second when the ’Jacks got their second goal of the game from Galatz, who was fed on the play by Moore and Cade Anderson. Cole Ketola tacked on CEC’s third goal of the game at 13:47 on the power play with Moore and Galatz assisting as the ’Jacks were up 3-0 after two periods.

“As a team we are continuing to get better every day,” Walters said. “Practices are getting to the point where you can see things click. We are not where we want to be yet, but like every year our goal is to be hitting our peak come playoff time.”

Galatz added two more goals in the third period with both goals assisted by Moore. The first goal came at 5:58 and the final goal at 16:32. Galatz ended the game with four goals and one assist. Moore had a hand in all five goals and finished with five assists.

“Moore just outworks his opponents in one-on-one battles in the corners and he is crafty in tight areas and makes plays all over the ice,” Walters said. “He has a good balance of offensive talents and grittiness that fit well for us. He is also a great leader and does all the right things on the ice.”

Defensively the ’Jacks allowed 18 shots on Owen Carlson, who finished with a shutout in the net. Meanwhile, CEC threw 47 shots at the Jaguar net. Jefferson goalie Kamsheh ended up with 42 saves.

“Owen has played very well for us and we’ve also gotten contributions from Jacob Walsh, who picked up his first varsity win against Duluth Denfeld last week,” Walters said. “Owen has been our starter since his sophomore year and continues to be a steady boost back there.”

The Lumberjacks expected their biggest test of the season at home Thursday against Duluth East.

“I am happy with where we are right now, but by no means satisfied,” Walters said. “The boys know they have a lot to give and know we need to continue to get better every day to reach our ultimate goal as a team. We need to have a good game against East on Thursday to build on what we believe can be a great year.”