You would be hard-pressed to name a team ranked in the top-five that has one of its leading scorers skating in a junior varsity game.

That just happens to be life for the St. Cloud Apollo Eagles, ranked No. 3 in the latest Class 1A coaches’ poll.

“Sometimes we all joke about that,” senior forward Brandon Bissett said of skating junior varsity after the Eagles edged No. 4-1A Hibbing/Chisholm 3-1 behind Bissett’s hat-trick on Friday night. “With our numbers, it is what it is,” Bissett added.

The Eagles have just four players penciled exclusively on the junior varsity roster, with the rest of the program’s 23 players pulling double duty and playing in both contests on game-nights.

“When I see our guys are a little tired, I go out there for a period just to help out,” Bissett said, adding that the extra time on the ice forces the Eagles to perform in the varsity nightcap. “It drives us to be better,” Bissett said. “We’ve got to work extra hard on and off the ice.”

That extra work seems to be paying off, with the Eagles (18-2-0) eyeing their third trip to the state tournament in four years. 

Eagles coach Pete Matanich said that Bissett, who’s brother Noah is a sophomore forward, is the type of player who exemplifies the character of the Eagles.

“He’s a great senior leader for us,” Matanich said. “We look forward to his play every night.”

The Eagles also look forward to the play of senior goaltender Nick Althaus, who’s posted 21 career shutouts and made 32 saves in the win over the Bluejackets (19-2-0).

“It helps us as a team,” Matanich said of having Althaus between the pipes. “We know that if we make a few mistakes, he’s back there to bail us out like he was tonight.”

Matanich said that Bissett’s play after Noah needed help to exit the ice following a hard check by a Hibbing-Chisholm player was indicative of his play in crucial situations.

“He’s done a good job of that this year,” Matanich said. “At different times, when we’ve needed a goal, he’s stepped up and made some big plays.”