By Nick Gerhardt
Northfield couldn’t solve Orono Saturday in a 1-0 loss in the consolation championship at Aldrich Arena in Maplewood.
The Spartans got a goal from Trey Landa at the 8 minute, 44-second mark of the second period and it held up in a tightly contested game. Joey Mugaas assisted on the goal.
The game featured a combined 19 penalties, including a game misconduct that resulted in an ejection for Orono in the second period.
The No. 8-ranked Raiders (23-6-2) outshot the No. 5-ranked Spartans 26-23 for the game but went 0-for-6 on the power play. Northfield finishes the season with a sixth-place finish and matched last season’s win total of 23.
Northfield had a chance with 4:19 left in the second period to score but a dustup around the Orono goal resulted in a game ejection and a five-minute major for the Spartans’ Luca DeCubellis while Raiders senior defenseman Ty Frank and sophomore forward Christian Whiteman received roughing minors. Orono’s Rylan Schultz also received a roughing minor. Northfield ended up with a three-minute power play after the penalties.
Orono defeated the Raiders 4-1 in the regular season back on Nov. 28 in Northfield. St. Cloud Cathedral, which defeated the Raiders 5-1 in the quarterfinals Wednesday went on to claim the Class A state title Saturday with a 3-1 victory over Hermantown.