The Regis Jesuit Raiders are continuing their winning legacy in ice hockey with another state championship victory after defeating the Dakota Ridge Eagles 5-2 at the Pepsi Center on Monday night.
The 13 seniors on the Raiders squad won three out of four years worth of state titles and are graduating on a high note.
Dakota Ridge netted the first goal of the game in the opening period after a big shot from the point by Jake Eickelman.
However, the Raiders responded after a goal from Colin Walsh on a wrister from the hash marks.
The two entered the second period knotted at one's before Regis Jesuit took the lead. Raiders' Nicholas Schultz came out of the corner and found Sergio Padilla for the go-ahead goal.
Regis would strike again almost immediately after the face-off, Luke Dosen roofed the puck over the Eagles goaltender's shoulder for a quick one-two punch for the 3-1 lead.
Just before the end of the third, after an uncommon turnover in their slot, the Raiders allowed a goal to Dakota Ridge's Parker Spaan in the slot to pull within one just before the final period of the state championship.
In the third, it seemed that veteran experience and a resilient attitude would pay off for the Regis Jesuit Raiders. They tacked on two more goals (another from Colin Walsh and John Votaw tallied his first of the game).
The Raiders have now won six state championships in ice hockey.
