Better Than Advertised

Sam Peckham, photo by David Romuald

Players and teams that have exceeded expectations early in the Minnesota State High School Season.

Goalies find him Rudh: Jackson Rudh has 19 points over his first 5 games with St. Thomas Academy. Jackson has at least 1 goal in each of the 5 games and has back-to-back hat tricks. Jackson’s ability to bury the one-timer may be tops in the state.

Forwards Jacob Villella and Kellen O’Rourke have been an impressive duo for Roseville, making them a dangerous team while restoring pride to the Raider program. Villella, who was last season’s leading scorer, is again leading the Raiders in with 17 points while O’Rourke has 14 points. Roseville is 4-2 and has a big-ticket win over Holy Family under their belts.

Carter Casey of Grand Rapids leads all Minnesota High School goaltenders in Saves% with a .930 (100 shots minimum). Casey is one of the top 2007 goalies in the nation.

Harvey Ylitalo of Buffalo leads the state in shorthanded goals with 3, all coming in a 4-1 win over Chaska. The senior forward has 9 points on the season.

Cade Shermon, Junior/forward, of Rosemount has 16 points in 6 games this season, leading the undefeated Irish in scoring.

Special Teams: Northfield is 5-0-1 with a 50% Powerplay. Their Penalty kill is 93.3%

Charlie Scanlon of Eastview is a player to watch. The athletic goalie has a .922 SV% while making some huge stops in the process.

Sam Peckham of Edina is proving to be one of the top defenders in the state. The junior blueliner has shown such a high hockey IQ and a remarkable ability to gain zones.

Stillwater is 5-0! The Ponies are showing great depth up front, and the defense is coming together, allowing just 4 goals over the past 3 games. Matthew Volkman leads Stillwater in scoring with 13 points.

Ryan Pellinger of Wayzata is proving to be one of the better netminders in the state. He played brilliantly against Moorhead in the first game of the season (Left game in ot due to injury) and held White Bear Lake to 1 goal on 29 shots.

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