HIBBING — Ely’s playoff run came to a predictable end here on Tuesday as the Wolves fell hard to a combined Hibbing/Chisholm squad that had lost just twice all season and came into the Section 7A playoffs as the top seed. It was a mismatch from start to finish as the Bluejackets scored early and often enroute to a 14-1 shellacking.
The Bluejackets racked up five unanswered points in the first period of their quarterfinal contest, and three more in the second before Ely’s Owen Marolt, with an assist from Jayden Zemke, got the puck past Hibbing/Chisholm goalie Gavin Lamphere for the one and only time at the 11:56 mark.
The Bluejackets went on to add two more in the second and four more in the third to complete their tally. They peppered Timberwolves goalie Henry Fetterer with 54 shots on goal, while Ely managed just seven shots against the relentless Bluejacket defense.
It was a remarkably clean game, with just a single penalty, a roughing call assessed against Ely’s Evan Leeson late in the first period.
The Wolves, who entered the playoffs as the eighth seed, made it the quarterfinal round after an impressive 13-6 win over ninth-seeded Moose Lake Area in the opening round on Saturday. Sean Merriman had a huge game, hitting the net four times, while Cooper Mayranen notched a hat trick in just a six-minute span in the second period. Owen Marolt, with an assist from Stig Majerus, led things off for Ely with a goal at the 6:15 mark of the first period. Rhett Johnson, on a power play, added a second just over two minutes later with help from Hunter Halbakken. Merriman notched his first of the night ten minutes in and added two more late in the second, and his fourth at the 11:50 mark of the third. Mayranen led off the second period with a goal just over four minutes in and added two more within four seconds of each other at the 10:14 and 10:18 marks, both on power plays.
Marolt added to Ely’s lead with a goal with just five minutes left in the second, and Merriman went on to notch two more in the frame on the way to his four-goal performance.
Moose Lake added three of its own in both the second and third frames, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap. The Wolves played with confidence throughout, with each successive goal adding to their swagger.
Ely wrapped up its scoring in the third with an early goal from Luke Stalboerger, followed by goals from Halbakken, Merriman, and Jayden Zemke.
The contest was plagued by penalties on both sides. Moose Lake notched nine penalties, including a ten-minute misconduct charge assessed against Peyton Nordstrom. Meanwhile, Ely was charged with 11 infractions, with Evan Leeson sitting out on his own ten-minute misconduct charge.
Ely put up 44 shots on the night, while Moose Lake managed 31.
Saturday’s win, combined with Tuesday’s loss, ends the Wolves’ season at 8-15.