DULUTH — Five minutes into the first period, Rock Ridge senior Grady Dimberio was in the right place against Duluth Denfeld Tuesday at the Essentia Duluth Heritage Center.
The Hunters were on a power play, but they turned the puck over deep in their own end and Dimberio buried it for a shorthanded goal and a 1-0 lead.
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Dimberio’s goal masked a sluggish start for the Wolverines in the first period, but they came out and took command in the second with two more goals in a 6-3 Lake Superior Conference win.
Late in the first period, Denfeld’s Brady Wick tied the game and the Hunters really started to put pressure on the Wolverines heading into the second.
Rock Ridge responded, though, with a barrage of shots and two goals — both by Dimberio — and played much better in the second period, according to coach Matt Niskanen, and the reason was simple.
“Our guys started working like they should,” he said.
In the first, the Wolverines were “looking for fancy stuff,” Niskanen said, but they got back to basics in the second and took command.
Dimberio acknowledged they started slow, but didn’t “get down on” themselves.
“We all came together and talked about what we had to do — it’s just a mental game,” he said. “We changed how we played. We moved our feet more, made tape-to-tape passes and we got it done.”
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The Wolverines scored four straight goals and were cruising when the team seemed to lose focus, allowing two Denfeld goals in 15 seconds and giving the Hunters new life with less than 4 minutes to play.
As troubling as the sequence was for Niskanen and the Wolverines, they slammed the door on the Hunters, with Jackson Bartovich scoring less than 2 minutes later.
“We made it a little bit of a game there,” Niskanen said. “I’m just happy, when they needed to, they stepped up. They needed to respond to that first. They did again when they needed to buckle down and lock the game down.”
Niskanen, a former Minnesota Duluth defenseman, took over the Rock Ridge program after a 13-year NHL career where he was a member of the 2018 Washington Capitals Stanley Cup championship team. It hasn’t taken him long to “lift” the Wolverines, according to Dimberio.
“When we found out he was coaching, we were all excited to get back on the ice and get coached by this guy,” he said. “We knew that he was going to bring a lot to the table and that’s exactly what he’s been doing.”
Niskanen inherited a team with a ton of offensive talent, with Dimberio and junior Caz Carlson “leading the charge,” he said. The pair lead the team with 15 points each, 10 goals and five assists for Dimberio and five goals and 10 assists for Carlson.
Hunters coach Dale Jago said the pair are “high-end players” that put the time and effort into improving.
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“Carlson and Dimberio are elite players,” he said. “They played all summer with better players. They’re used to playing at a higher pace, but they also work hard and they get results.”
Against Denfeld, the Rock Ridge forward each had four points, a hat trick and an assist for Dimberio and a goal and three assists for Dimberio, but Niskanen knows they are “capable of more.”
Even more encouraging is the defense, which Niskanen knows will be a “work in progress” this season. They have embraced the new defensive concepts Niskanen brought to the team. They are working to come together as a unit and they played well against the Hunters.
“Tonight was a step in the right direction,” Niskanen said. “They kept the game in front of they, they played hard and simple. I was pretty happy with their play.”
Rock Ridge (4-2) will play Little Falls at 7 p.m. Friday at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia.
Hunters their ‘own worst enemy’
While Denfeld forced Rock Ridge to sweat a little in the third, Jago knew his team didn’t play well. The Hunters allowed two shorthanded goals and the Wolverines capitalized on their mistakes.
Denfeld has also struggled to put its full roster on the ice this season. Players have dealt with injuries, sickness and other issues keeping them from games and practice.
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Jago didn’t mince words about the Hunters prospects if they don’t buckle down.
“Right now, we’re our own worst enemy,” he said. “We can lay down and feel sorry for ourselves or we can work through it and grow and learn and get better, but until each and every player takes ownership, we’re going to continue to struggle.”
Denfeld (0-6) will play Superior at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Heritage Center.
Rock Ridge 1-2-3—6
Duluth Denfeld 1-0-2—3
First period — 1. RR, Grady Dimberio, 5:00 (sh); 2. DD, Brady Wick (Tristan Nephew, John Scott) 13:42.
Second period — 3. RR, Dimberio (Jackson Bartovich, Derik Dahl), 0:32; 4. RR, Dimberio (Caz Carlson, Easton Walters).
Third period — 5. RR, Jackson Bartovich (Carlson), 5:53; 6. RR, Carlson (Dimberio), 10:10 (sh); 7. DD, Jacob Hoch (Mason Kingsley), 13:16; 8. DD, Scott (Nephew) 13:31; 9. Bartovich (Carlson), 15:14.
Saves — Wyatt Jonassen, RR, 18; Liam Fish, DD, 32.
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