Festler's hat trick leads Pipers over Crookston

Festler's first goal of the evening started the Piper scoring less than a minute into the game off of a pass from Kyle Mattson (Fy., Maple Grove, Minn.) at 58 seconds.

Hamline maintained a 1-0 lead until 15:23 in the opening period when Dustin Fulton (Jr., Brooklyn Park, Minn.) scored his and eighth goal of the year. Andrew Birkholz (So., Maple Grove, Minn.) and Drake Herd (Fy., Alexandria, Minn.) received credit for assists on the score.

The score remained 2-0 until Crookston put their first goal on the board at 12:59. Festler's second goal of the game widened the lead to 3-1 at 18:39 in the same period when he slapped the puck into the net off of a face-off inside the Golden Eagles' zone.

Fulton took his turn at score once again, placing a pass from Birkholz into the net at 10:10 in the third period to make the score 4-1. Festler's topper on the hat trick came just 12 seconds later with assists from Joe Long (Jr., Dayton, Minn.) and Kyle Mattson (Fy., Maple Grove, Minn.).

Crookston's second goal came on a power play opportunity at 18:19 in the final period. Still down 5-2, Crookston called a time-out and pulled their goalie to attempt to narrow the Piper lead. But it was to no avail, as defenseman Long scored an unassisted short-handed empty netter with 24 seconds remaining in the game for the 6-2 finish.

Hamline out-shot Crookston 45-21 in the game. Zach Faust (So,. White Bear Lake, Minn.) earned the win in goal for the Pipers, stopping 19 shots.

Fulton has now scored a goal in the last five games and leads Hamline in scoring with eight goals and six assists. Long's goal and assist bring him to six goals and four assists, third on the team. Festler's productive night jumped him to fourth in scoring with four goals and four assists.

Hamline improves to 4-3-2, 3-1-0 MIAC with the non-conference win. Crookston falls to 3-9-0, 2-6-0 MCHA. The Pipers will return to the ice in 2008, hosting Concordia (Wisconsin) in a two-game home series on Friday, January 4 and Saturday, January 5. Both games are scheduled to start at 7:15 p.m.