by Mark McKenzie

BISMARCK – Jamestown Blue Jay Boys Hockey is state tournament bound for the first time in three years after blasting Mandan Saturday 7-1 in a state qualifier in the West Region tournament at the VFW Sports Center.

Jamestown failed to score a goal against the Braves during the regular season, suffering a pair of 3-0 defeats, but that all changed on Saturday.

Just 71 seconds into the game, Gavin Schafer struck for a goal, his ninth of the season, to jump start the Blue Jays.

A couple minutes later, Colton Johnson scored from the point on the Braves’ first shot of the game to knot the score at 1-1.

Jamestown struck for a couple of late goals in period one.  Cole Bullinger snapped the tie with a nifty backhander, his fourth of the season, at the 9:59 mark. Just two minutes later, Bennet Goehner won a faceoff, crashed the net and beat Mandan goalie Cooper Anderson for his eighth of the season, to hike the lead to 3-1.

Period two continued to go Jamestown’s way as Brady Nenow ripped home his ninth of the season at the 11:38 mark and Brady Anderson stunned the Braves with another goal just 17 seconds later to build the lead to 5-1.

After a pair of penalties gave Jamestown a 5-on-3 advantage, Braxton Burkett tapped in a back door goal with only 23 seconds remaining in the period, his ninth of the season, and the Jays headed to the second period intermission with a 6-1 lead.

The power play continued to start the third and Anderson struck again just 17 seconds in. The Blue Jays coasted from there.

Anderson took advantage of his opportunity to get more ice time as he was moved up to line one after the Jays’ leading scorer, Parker Roelfsema, was scratched after pregame warmups due to an upper body injury. Anderson’s three point game gives him seven goals and five assists for the season.

Max Whitman chipped in with a pair of assists, Nenow finished with a goal and three assists, and Burkett hiked his team leading assist total to 22 with a pair of helpers.

Jamestown goalie Leif Hanson settled down after allowing a goal on the Braves first shot of the game as he kicked out the next 18 shots he faced.

Roelfsema and Burkett were named all-WDA.

Next up for the Blue Jays (15-5-1-2) is the state tournament in Fargo, which begins Thursday. The Jays are the number three seed from the West and will face Grand Forks Red River, the number two seed from the East, in the opening round on Thursday at Scheels Arena. Coverage will begin Thursday at around 2:15 PM on The Voice of the Blue Jays, Jamestown 107.1.