The Worthington High School boys hockey team picked up its first win of the season Thursday night, thumping Fairmont 9-4 on the road.
It was a big night for the Trojans, especially Spenser Nickel, who scored six goals in the game while adding a pair of assists. Ian Bumgardner contributed a goal and five assists for Worthington, and Easton Newman and Caden Van Briesen scored.
The Trojans started off exceptionally quick, as Van Briesen made it 1-0 WHS just 11 seconds into the game. Fairmont knotted things at 1 nearly a minute and a half later, but the Trojans would tack on five more goals before the first period was over. Bumgardner’s goal made it 2-1, then Nickel scored twice, Newman notched his goal and Nickel completed his hat trick for a 6-1 Worthington advantage.
The Cardinals scored the first goal of the second period, but Nickel put another one in the net to make it 7-2. In the third period, he got two more goals in between a pair of Fairmont goals to round out the scoring.
The Trojans put 31 shots on goal in the game compared to 26 for the Cardinals.
In girls hockey, WHS played host to Fairmont on Meet the Trojans Night but were defeated 3-0. The Trojans remain on the hunt for their initial win of the winter.
Worthington hosts a hockey doubleheader Saturday afternoon against Waseca.
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The Worthington Trojans gymnastics team captured a road victory Thursday evening in a dual meet at Jackson County Central, earning a 140.675-127.750 triumph.
As has been the case throughout the season for WHS, Hali Bullerman captured all-around honors with a composite score of 36.55 points. Teammates Addison Gerber and Olivia Barber took second and third, respectively.
Bullerman won the vault with a score of 9.4, the bars with a 9.275 and the beam with an 8.9. She was also second on the floor behind Gerber, who captured that event with a score of 9.45.
Barber was second on the beam and bars for WHS and Brooklyn Dykstra placed third in both of those events. Dykstra was second on the vault and Gerber third.
Worthington will compete in a multi-team meet in New Prague on Saturday.
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In a high school girls basketball game broadcast on 104.3 The Bridge, Katelyn Froderman scored 12 points while Sadie Krahling and Brylee Zebe each had 11 to boost Adrian-Ellsworth to a 52-34 victory over Murray County Central in Ellsworth.
The Dragons led 21-8 at halftime and led by as many as 25 in the contest in improving to 6-5 on the season. For the Rebels, who dropped to 4-6, Kelli Miller was high scorer with eight points, and Jayda Hellewell had seven.
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In area girls basketball Thursday night, it was:
Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 67, Mountain Lake Area-Comfrey 62
Southwest Minnesota Christian 66, Hills-Beaver Creek 63
Westbrook-Walnut Grove 73, Red Rock Central 24
Edgerton 74, Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda 25
Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 55, Dawson-Boyd 50
Hartley-Melvin Sanborn 40, Unity Christian 35
George-Little Rock 49, Harris-Lake Park 28
In area boys basketball:
ML-GHEC-T 72, Martin County West 57
Mountain Lake Area-Comfrey 82, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 67
Dawson-Boyd 83, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 62
Marshall 64, Pipestone Area 61
