Photo by Jake McNeill Marshall forward Carson Kopitski (5) skates down the ice with the puck during a prep boys hockey game against Redwood Valley at Red Baron Arena in Marshall on Monday night. Kopitski netted his first varsity hat trick as the Tigers defeated the Cardinals 8-2.

MARSHALL — After a 1-4 start to the season, the Marshall boys hockey team has caught fire, taking down Redwood Valley Monday night for its third win in its last four games. Junior forward Carson Kopitski led the Marshall offensive barrage with his first career hat trick as the Tigers ran away with a 9-2 win.

“[The hat trick] felt pretty good, but definitely a big job from my teammates, Jacob Allen and Blake Grimsley. They definitely did a good job passing the puck today and we moved it around well as a team,” Kopitski said. “It was a good team win, can’t complain about that, but we’ve got a tough one against Willmar tomorrow so just have to carry the intensity there and get a win.”

Kopitski had the hot hand for the Tigers early on, scoring a pair of first-period goals to lead Marshall to an early edge. He scored off a feed from Blake Grimsley and Tate Mellenthin for his first of the night eight minutes into the game and scored unassisted 13 minutes in to make the Tiger advantage 4-0.

“We were just trying to get running time,” Kopitski said when asked if the possibility of a hat trick was on his mind after his pair of first-period goals. “Just kind of getting over with the game. I didn’t really care about the goals, but it was definitely nice to put something in the net today.”

The Tigers triggered the running clock rule when Jacob Allen and Kopitski skated down the ice with a 2-on-1 advantage, Grimsley finding Kopitski in the slot for the goal with 12 minutes left in the game for Kopitski’s first career hat trick. The running clock was short-lived, however, as Redwood Valley scored a goal of its own in the same minute when Kooper Johnson scored to trim the Marshall lead to 7-2. 

Ehlers reactivated the running clock a few moments later, taking the puck up the middle before rifling it into the back of the net for an 8-2 Marshall lead and the defenseman’s fourth goal of the season. Grimsley and Kopitski were credited with assists on the play. The running clock held for the remainder of the game.

In between Kopitski’s pair of first-period goals, Jacob Johnson scored off a feed from Luke Ehlers and Tyler Welsh during a power play following a hooking minor on Redwood Valley. The penalty was the second of the day against the Cardinals, who were also called for a tripping minor earlier in the period. 

Owen Renslow scored Marshall’s first goal less than three minutes into the game, taking the puck unassisted for his fifth goal and 28th point of the season. Renslow also scored a shorthanded goal in the final minute to tie Jacob Johnson with a team-high six goals.

“We just came out with some speed and tried to use that to our advantage,” Marshall head coach Michael Weiss said, saying his team got some good bounces to find the back of the net. 

Senior Aiden Reinhart scored his first varsity goal four minutes into the second period, extending the Marshall lead to 6-1. Noah Myhre and Ehlers were credited with an assist on the play. 

“Aiden’s really been working hard and you can see the improvement that he’s made over the last couple of years,” Weiss said. “He’s playing really well and I was happy that he was able to get that one. The team was really excited for him.”

It took Marshall 12 seconds to score its first goal of the second period. The Tigers won the opening faceoff and Renslow quickly passed it up to Johnson for his team-leading seventh goal of the year. 

Marshall’s early offensive barrage was based more on efficiency than volume. While the Tigers dominated possession in the first period, they were patient with their shots and held a 10-3 advantage in shots on goal to set up the 4-1 lead at the end of the frame. 

Tomas Fischer first put Redwood Valley on the board with three minutes to play in the first period, capitalizing on a feed from Landon Stoneberg and Kilen Cilek to cut Marshall’s advantage down to 4-1. 

Marshall (4-5) will look to get up to .500 for the first time this season when it goes on the road on Tuesday to take on Willmar at 7 p.m. From there, the Tigers will remain on the road to take on Fairmont on Thursday at 7 p.m.

“We’re starting to play a little bit better defensively, and just playing with a little more consistency. We’re moving in the right direction but still have got a little ways to go,” Weiss said.