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After an 0-4 start to the season that included three blowout losses, the Northern Edge boys’ hockey team – a co-op of North Branch and St. Francis – has played more competitively, including getting their first win of the season.

North Branch 4, Becker/Big Lake 3
Milo Hetland scored an unassisted goal at 1:59 of overtime to give the Edge a 4-3 win over the Becker/Big Lake Eagles on Tuesday, December 6 at East Bethel Ice Arena.  The Eagles outshot the Edge 39-27 for the game, and Edge goalie Otto Netteberg stopped 36 of the 39 shots he faced to earn the win.
Becker got on the scoreboard first, just four minutes into the first period.  The Edge responded with three goals to take a 3-1 lead at the end of one period.  Loghan Croal scored an unassisted goal just a minute after the Becker goal to tie the game at 1-1.  Five minutes later, Croal scored another unassisted goal, this one shorthanded, to put the Vikings up 2-1.  And at 13:45, Paul Boelk added a goal, assisted by Zach Monson and Cam Husby, to make it 3-1.  The Eagles scored twice in the second period to tie it at 3-3,  and neither team scored in the third period, setting the stage for Hetland’s heroics.

Dodge County 5, Northern Edge 2
The Dodge County Wildcats scored three goals in the first period to take a 3-0 lead and went on to beat the Northern Edge 5-2 in a game played Thursday, December 8 at Four Seasons Arena at the Dodge County Fairgrounds in Kasson, Minn.  Dodge County outshot the Edge 31-21 for the game.  The game was chippy, with 12 penalties – including five roughing minors and an unsportsmanlike conduct minor assessed against the Edge when the Wildcats scored their final goal of the game.
After scoring three goals in the first period, the Wildcats added another early in the second period to increase their lead to 4-0.  Lavonte Fisher scored for the Edge, assisted by Loghan Croal, at 15:12 of the second period to cut the Dodge County lead to 4-1.  But the Wildcats answered just 24 seconds later to stretch their lead back to four goals.  Cam Husby scored for the Edge with under two minutes to go in the third period, assisted by Croal, to make the score 5-2.

River Falls 3, Northern Edge 2
The River Falls Wildcats scored with 1:35 left in the third period to break a 2-2 tie and beat the Northern Edge 3-2 last Saturday, December 10 at East Bethel Arena.  The Wildcats scored late in the first period to take a 1-0 lead and doubled their lead to 2-0 with a goal just over a minute into the second period.  Lohan Croal scored an unassisted goal on a power play at 12:05 of the second period to cut the Wildcat lead to 2-1.  And the Edge tied it up at 7:16 of the third period on a goal by Zach Monson, assisted by Nicholas Ploussard.  The game appeared headed to overtime until River Falls scored at the 15:25 mark to take the lead and hung on for the win.  The Edge outshot the Wildcats 36-26 for the game.  Edge goalie Riley Pickell stopped 23 of the 26 shots he faced.

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