The much-anticipated 167th official meeting between arch rivals Roseau and Warroad was a one-sided contest from start to finish, with host Roseau taking it to their neighbors from 20 miles down the road in an impressive 6-3 win at Memorial Arena in Roseau on Thursday night.

Billed as the boys’ high school rivalry in Minnesota, the tension and energy present in the building before the opening faceoff began to disappear midway through the first period, as Roseau went ahead 2-0 on their ninth shot and poured it on to the chagrin of the Warroad fans in attendance. 

The Rams (8-5-1) were simply the better team - out-scoring, out-shooting and out-hitting the visiting Warriors (5-10-0), who struggled to sustain pressure and were out-shot 43-25.

Junior center Brandon Lund scored three times for Roseau, netting his first hat trick and multi-goal game of the season, while Alex Verbout notched a four-point night (1-3-4). Logan Monsrud and Nathan Adrian also scored for the Rams. Roseau senior goaltender Tanner Landman turned aside 22 shots, and but for two late goals, held his own against minimal pressure.  

Warriors’ goaltender Parker Orchard was under duress for most of the night, as the Rams peppered the junior from every angle.

Lund started the scoring just 4:03 in to the game, as he carried the puck through the Warroad zone, sidestepped a defender and beat Orchard low to give the host Rams a 1-0 lead.

After Warroad's Max Oelkers scored off a somewhat lucky bounce off the back wall to knot the score at 1-1 later in the first period, the Rams rattled off five straight goals, including two more from Lund, to increase their lead to 6-1 at the 6:23 mark of the final period.

Two goals (by Dryden Thompson and Jade Cole) and a flurry of shots by the Warriors in the last five minutes of the game kept the score sheet respectable, but it was clear tonight was Roseau's night. 

"I thought we had a good start, and did a lot of things right," said Rams' head coach Andy Lundbohm. "They showed a lot of pride in the third to cut into our lead, but overall I was really pleased with the effort."  

The rematch between the Rams and Warriors will take place on January 26 in Warroad, and Lundbohm knows it won't be easy.

"I think we gave them a little bit of life there at the end so maybe all we did was wake them up," said Lundbohm, whose Rams have won the last three meetings between the two squads. "Hopefully we can come out a bit harder and keep improving as a team as we've been doing the last few games. This game means nothing for the next game. It'll still start 0-0, it's still a rivalry game. You need to dominate the first five minutes if you can and go from there."