Ladue Hockey Nets First Win of Mid-States Hockey Season With Big Win Over Pattonville

ST. PETERS -- With both teams playing with short benches and small rosters, the Ladue High hockey team earned its first win of the season Saturday night, with an 8-2 rout over Pattonville High, at the St. Peters Rec-Plex South ice facility.

The Rams, who were playing without leading scorer Matthew Gould and top goaltender Elliot Shevitz, got big games from underclassmen stand-ins Ian Thomsen and Graham Gausnell that no one could've predicted before the game began.

Thomsen, a sophomore defenseman-turned-centerman on Saturday, netted a hat trick to lead the Ladue offense, while the freshman Gausnell made his first high school start in goal a memorable one, by stopping 18 Pattonville shots to pick up his first high school victory.

"It really is nice when you don't have all your guys, to have other guys step up and play so well," Ladue head coach Jon Hodgins said. "I'm really happy for these guys because they've been working so hard to improve, and you just like to see it pay off in the game."

Ladue also got two goals and an assist from junior forward Colton Schalk, who now leads the Rams with six total points (two goals and four assists) this season.

Pattonville actually scored the first goal of the game, thanks to some nifty work by senior centerman Zach Guenther, which set up the first varsity goal by Pirate defender Kathy Ensor.

The smallest player on the ice, Ensor drew a huge roar from the crowd when she scored the first goal of the game and the first goal of her high school career three minutes into the game.

That was about the end of the cheering for Pattonville though, as Thomsen banged home his first of the night about a minute later, to tie the game at 1.

The second period was all Ladue, as the Rams scored four times, before Pattonville's Mauricio Pimentel got his first goal of the season with just over a minute left in the period.

Ladue put the game away for sure in the third, with three more goals, including power-play scores by Schalk and Thomsen, that gave Pattonville almost no chance at a comeback.

Pattonville, which is now 0-2 on the year, will look to get its first win of the season, when it gets back on the ice at the Rec-Plex South facility, Friday night against Parkway North.

The opening face-off for that matchup is set for 7:45 p.m.

Ladue will play its next game Thursday night at the South County Kennedy complex, where the Rams will take on 2012 Challenge Cup runner-up Lutheran South.

The Rams will also play on Saturday night, when they'll face Rockwood Summit in a game at the Brentwood Ice Rink.  

Scoring Summary

Score by Periods ..... 1 ... 2 ... 3 -- Final

Ladue ...................... 1 .. 4 ... 3 -- 8

Pattonville .............. 1 ... 1 ... 0 -- 2

1st Period

Patt - Kathy Ensor (1), assisted by Zach Guenther -- 12:07 .......... 0-1

Ladue - Ian Thomsen (1), unassisted -- 11:20 ................................ 1-1

2nd Period

Ladue - Colton Schalk (1), assisted by Jeremy Wright -- 13:51 .... 2-1

Ladue - Alex Schott (1), assisted by Eric Heidenreich -- 11:36 .... 3-1

Ladue - Cameron Wolf (1), assisted by Alex Schott -- 9:30 .......... 4-1

Ladue - Ian Thomsen (2), unassisted -- 8:12 ................................. 5-1

Patt - Mauricio Pimentel (1), assisted by Jan Kallman -- 1:38 ...... 5-2

3rd Period

Ladue - Colton Schalk (2), assisted by Charlie Jonas and Charles Cornwell -- 9:00 ... 6-2

Ladue - Ian Thomsen (3), assisted by Colton Schalk and Joseph Tackes -- 6:35 ... 7-2

Ladue - Ryan Karasick (1), assisted by Charles Cornwell -- 1:45 ... 8-2