Sprenger Hat Trick Boosts Steele County Blades to Victory

Colton Sprenger scored a hat trick and Steele County netted three power play goals while beating River Falls 6-4 Sunday night at Four Seasons Centre in Owatonna.

A day after their eight-game winning streak got snapped at Forest Lake, Steele County put another one in the win column in a game they never trailed. The depleted Renegades put up a valiant fight, however, playing with just 13 skaters due to injury.

Zach Bettmeng put the Blades on the board on a feed from Oskari Valli late in the first. River Falls converted on a power play in the closing seconds of the frame for a 1-1 draw after one.

Kyle Wadden scored from Bettmeng and Valli early in the second. Steele County picked up a power play goal at 5:19, seven seconds after going on the man advantage with Sprenger getting his first of the night from Soren Colstrup and Chase Wedding. River Falls pulled within one 3-2 midway through the second. The Blades' Wadden answered with a power play goal from Costrup and Wedding at 14:37, just 14 seconds after gaining the extra player. The goal was a work of beauty. Colstrup's pass from the right half boards connected with Wadden who was alone between the hash marks in the slot. He caught the puck and lifted a back handed shot over the goalie. Steele County led 4-2 after the second period.

The teams traded goals throughout the third stanza. River Falls scored at 5:55. Sprenger got his second goal at 13:35 on the power play for a 5-3 lead with the assist to Colstrup. The Renegades scored at 14:13 to make it 5-4. Sprenger ended the threat with an empty-net marker at 19:10 from Chase Lewis for the 6-4 final.

River Falls outshot Steele County 42-38, but the Blades improved to 3-0 against the Renegades this season with three more meetings to come. Sunday's game ended a busy stretch of four games in five nights for Steele County. They beat Forest Lake on Wednesday 6-3, topped Blaine on Friday 9-4 and lost at Forest Lake on Saturday 4-2.

Steele County has won nine of their past 10 games. Division-leading Wisconsin Rapids comes to Four Seasons Centre in Owatonna on Saturday, January 21, for a 7:30PM game and Sunday, January 22, for a 3PM face-off.