Benson and Dordt get critical OT win at national hockey tournament

Worthington High School graduate Andrew Benson and the Dordt University hockey team won their American Collegiate Hockey Association national tournament game in overtime Thursday against Purdue University, 3-2.

The matchup against Purdue was the second in pool play for the Defenders, who lost 6-4 to Nebraska-Omaha on Wednesday. There's one more pool play game for Dordt — that's scheduled for 8:15 p.m. Friday against Calvin. The tournament is taking place in St. Louis, Mo.

On Thursday, the Boilermakers got a goal at the 17:19 mark of the opening period to edge ahead 1-0 and then added a shorthanded tally 4:54 into the second period for a 2-0 advantage. There was no surrender in the Defenders, though.

With 57 seconds remaining in period two, Rylan Veenstra — a sophomore from Edmonton, Alberta — got Dordt on the board, with assists credited to sophomore Levi Loken of Mitchell, S.D. and sophomore Mason Spejcher of Suamico, Wis. Then, at 8:27 of the third period, Defenders senior Mason Carrels of Aberdeen, S.D. scored the equalizer; assists were by senior Isaac Baarts of Sioux Center, Iowa and freshman Preston Waage of Forest Lake.

The winning goal for Dordt was scored by Loken just 39 seconds into overtime and was assisted by  Spejcher. Should the Defenders win again today and in advance out of pool play, they'd play in the semifinals Saturday. The championship game is Sunday.