Original Article

MANCHESTER • De Smet hockey coach Christopher Durso said he doesn’t have a designated first, second, third or fourth line.

Whatever line Jack Estes, Michael Mullen and Colton Walpert were on Monday for the Spartans, it worked.

Estes, Mullen and Walpert combined for nine points in De Smet’s 6-4 win over Chaminade in a Mid-States Club Hockey Association Municipal Conference game at Queeny Park.

Estes scored four goals, Mullen supplied the game-winner and Cameron Osdieck also scored for DeSmet (4-0). Spartans goalie Daniel Karr made 29 saves.

“It’s nice to see everyone getting involved in the offense,” Estes said. “That’s our identity. We’ve got to keep coming at them from our first line to our fourth line and the points will come.”

Walpert had four assists and Joshua Abel added a pair of helpers as the De Smet offense continued to roll. The Spartans entered the contest averaging more than eight goals a game.

“It’s really the kids sticking to the structure that we’ve been working on in practice, during the preseason and the early season and we have a lot of talented players,” Durso said. “Obviously we have a really good line that’s scored a lot of points, but everybody’s contributing.”

Kyle Crews, Michael Deelo and Vincent Servizzi each had a goal and an assist for Chaminade (2-2). Jacob Behnen also scored and goalie Hampus Blomdahl made 22 saves for the Red Devils.

Mullen broke a 4-4 tie, putting De Smet back on top at 3:27 of the third period by deflecting a Justin Reynolds shot from the point to make it 5-4 Spartans.

“When we get the chemistry going I don’t think there’s any stopping us,” Mullen said. “It’s just a flow. We work really well together and that’s a key to our success.”

Estes gave De Smet some insurance with his fourth goal of the game, his fifth of the season, burying the puck in a scrum in front of the Red Devils’ net.

Chaminade pulled Blomdahl with four minutes left for an extra attacker but couldn’t get it back.

Behnen’s slap shot found its way through heavy traffic to give Chaminade a 1-0 lead just 20 seconds into the game.

Estes responded at 2:36, deflecting in an Abel pass for De Smet to tie it 1-1.

Six minutes later, Abel found Estes again alone in the slot to make it 2-1 De Smet.

Osdieck gave the Spartans a 3-1 lead with 4:35 left in the first period, ringing a wrister off the post and into the net for his fourth goal of the season.

Deelo got Chaminade back into the game just 3 minutes, 1 second into the second, tipping in a Servizzi pass to cut the deficit to one.

Servizzi evened it for the Red Devils midway through the second, wristing a perfect centering pass from Crews into the net to make it 3-3.

“We kind of got away from our game a little bit in the second period,” Durso said. “The first and the third periods we were playing really well, we had our fore-check working really good and we kind of got away from it there. That’s a tough team. If you give them time and space and you don’t play your structure very well, they’re going to take advantage.”

Estes’ hat trick goal regained the lead for De Smet 4-3 with 4:39 left in the second. Ryan Brickhaus got the assist.

Crews tied the game for Chaminade in the opening minutes of the third period. Crews raced in on a 2-on-1, kept the puck and found the upper right corner of the net to make it 4-4.

“Chaminade’s been tough all four years I’ve been here,” Estes said. “We’ve just got to keep battling with them. It’s always a tough game. We’ve just got to keep coming at them all three periods.”