You know, the boys played hard, got the puck out and made it easy.”

Nick Smelser

After starting the season 2-2, the Raiders boys hockey team had a strong week adding two wins and a tough loss. Simley (4-2) came to town on Dec. 9 and Hastings came out on top 4-1. A trip to West St. Paul to take on the 1-5 Warriors resulted in a 3-0 Two Rivers victory and finally, New Prague came to town undefeated (5-0) on Dec. 13 and Hastings earned a hard-fought win, 1-0.

The week opened at Hastings Civic Arena with a confident, up-tempo performance against Simley. Hastings controlled play early, moved the puck well through the neutral zone, and spent long stretches in the offensive end. The pressure paid off five minutes into the first period when Finn Zaruba opened the scoring on the power play, finishing a setup from Will Savage and Lukas Niederkorn. The Raiders stayed aggressive and added to the lead late in the period when Brecken Fullerton scored at even strength, with Michael Kennedy and Niederkorn picking up assists.

Simley pushed back in the second period and cut the lead to 2-1 midway through the frame, but Hastings answered quickly. Savage scored an even-strength goal at 8:25, off a feed from Blake Weber, to restore a two-goal cushion. The Raiders wasted no time putting the game away in the third period. Just 20 seconds after the opening faceoff, Kennedy scored from in close, finishing a play set up by Zaruba and Fullerton. Hastings outshot Simley 45-24, stayed disciplined, and played a complete team game in front of Nick Smelser, who turned aside 23 shots.

Simley 1, Hastings 4: Hastings led 2-0 after one period on goals by Finn Zaruba and Brecken Fullerton, responded to Simley’s second-period tally with a goal from Will Savage, and added an early third-period goal by Michael Kennedy to seal the win. Zaruba scored on the power play, Lukas Niederkorn recorded two assists, and Nick Smelser made 23 saves on 24 shots.

The middle game of the week took Hastings on the road to face Two Rivers in West St. Paul, and it proved to be one of those nights where effort did not match the final score. Hastings fell 3-0, despite stretches of solid play and chances that just did not find the net. Head coach Matt Klein pointed to a difficult sequence in the second period, where multiple opportunities to clear the puck turned into goals against, including a turnover along the wall and a breakaway that quickly changed the game.

Still, Klein emphasized that the performance itself mattered more than the result.

“Yeah, we played equally as hard that night,” he said. “But that just doesn't define it, we had chances. We had some great days and that just wasn't our night.” The message afterward was simple and direct.

“Onward, forward and the steps we're taking are our big steps,” Klein said, noting the group continues to grow and respond the right way.

Two Rivers 3, Hastings 0: No individual statistics were available for the game. Hastings was shut out 3-0 despite competing hard throughout the night.

That response was on full display Saturday afternoon when undefeated New Prague came to Hastings Civic Arena for a high-energy, fast-paced matchup that felt intense from the opening puck drop. Both teams skated well, finished checks, and pushed the tempo, and it did not take long for the building to get loud. Early in the second period, Hastings appeared to take the lead, as a puck found the back of the net in the opening minute. Officials waved the goal off, ruling the net had been dislodged unintentionally before the puck crossed the line. Looking at the images of the play, many would say otherwise, and the crowd emphatically said otherwise as well, but the goal came off the board and the game stayed scoreless. Rather than deflate the bench, the moment seemed to bring the group together.

“I think it's more positive for us,” said Smelser. “You know, because gets us fired up. We just want to go get another one and show them that we can do it.”

Hastings did exactly that moments later. On a power play at 1:49 of the second period, Savage scored the eventual game-winner, finishing a play set up by Jonas Schauer. It would be the only goal of the afternoon.

The third period belonged to New Prague on the shot clock, as the visitors fired 18 shots in the final frame and finished with a 34-16 edge overall. Smelser was exceptional, making several difficult saves in traffic and during scrambling situations.

“To me, I think it was team effort,” Smelser said. “You know, the boys played hard, got the puck out and made it easy.”

Klein echoed that praise. “No, he was special,” he said. “And he's a talented goalie.”

Hastings stayed gritty, blocked shots, and worked above the puck when needed to protect the one-goal lead.

“It wasn't a great third period for us,” Klein admitted, “but it was still gritty, right?”

In the end, gritty was more than enough, as the Raiders handed New Prague its first loss of the season.

New Prague 0, Hastings 1: Hastings scored the lone goal at 1:49 of the second period on a power play, with Will Savage finishing and Jonas Schauer assisting. New Prague outshot Hastings 34-16, including 18 shots in the third period, but Nick Smelser stopped all 34 shots for the shutout. Hastings went 1 for 5 on the power play, while New Prague went 0 for 1.

The Raiders will stay busy as the calendar turns, starting with a road trip on Tuesday, Dec. 16, when Hastings travels north to face Chisago Lakes at Chisago Lakes Arena in a 7 p.m. puck drop. Hastings then returns home on Thursday, Dec. 18, for a matchup with Hill-Murray at 6:30 p.m.

After a short holiday break in the schedule, Hastings heads back on the road Saturday, Dec. 27, to take on South St. Paul at Doug Woog Arena, skating at the South St. Paul Premier tournament with a 6:45 p.m. start. That game kicks off the post-holiday portion of the schedule and begins a busy stretch heading into the new year.

The Raiders will be back on home ice Saturday, Jan. 3, when Hopkins comes to Hastings Civic Arena for a 2 p.m. afternoon puck drop.