The Helias Crusaders weren't going to let what happened Monday night carry over into Wednesday.
The Crusaders, coming off a 3-0 loss to the Jefferson City Jays, turned it around Wednesday and defeated the Rolla Bulldogs 3-0 at the Crusader Athletic Complex.
"The boys bounced back," Helias coach Jay Hebenheimer said. "We talked about that game, but we are looking forward."
Helias got on the board 15 minutes into the game when Connor Mudd scored off an assist by Sam Thompson. The Crusaders doubled their advantage 10 minutes later when Luke Hynes scored off an assist from Sam Conley.
Hebenheimer was pleased with the organization of the Helias offense in the first half.
"We were trying to play through Luke and that's what we did tonight," Hebenheimer said. "Everything went through Luke and he was very dangerous when he was serving balls."
Unfortunately for the Crusaders, some of those dangerous passes didn't result in scores.
"It could have been a lot better on the scoreboard, we didn't do a very good job of finishing," Hebenheimer said. "That's a quality Rolla team, but we could have done a little better in finishing the ball."
On the defensive side, freshman Nick Ammons saw his first extended time at center back, entering the game midway through the first half.
"He did an amazing job back there," Hebenheimer said. "He filled a very important position as a freshman and that was great to see."
Helias got its final goal with less than five minutes remaining in the second half as Thomas Schappe scored off an assist by Hynes.
Connor Schaefer was in goal for the shutout.
"He made a lot of big saves," Hebenheimer said. "In my opinion, he's one of the top five keepers in the state and we are very fortunate to have him for another year. I can't wait to see what he can accomplish."
Rolla falls to 3-7-2. With the win, Helias climbs back above the .500 mark at 8-7.
"We're building toward the end of the season, we're trying to find those last couple of missing pieces," Hebenheimer said. "I think if we can fill those spots with a couple of young guys who want to step up, if we can get through our district, we make a deep run in the postseason."
The Crusaders are back in action Saturday when they host the Nixa Eagles. The varsity-only game is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start.