Staff photo by Ari Selvey New Ulm’s Brody Nordby (middle) and Talan Helget (9) celebrate a goal as a Marshall player places his hands on his head during a Big South Conference boys hockey game Thursday at the New Ulm Civic Center.

NEW ULM — New Ulm scored twice in the first period on its way to a 4-0 win over Marshall Thursday in a Big South Conference boys hockey game.

“The guys are buying in,” New Ulm head coach Ryan Neuman said. “We’re running a good forecheck, a disciplined forecheck, in the offensive zone and the neutral zone, and our defensive zone is getting cleaned up. We’re doing a good job down there clearing pucks and giving our goaltenders a chance to see the puck.”

It was a physical game for both teams, with 13 total penalties committed, seven by New Ulm, and while the shots on goal numbers were similar (30 for New Ulm, 24 for Marshall), New Ulm was able to capitalize on those opportunities more with four scores.

“It’s just something where, some of the penalties we’re not happy about,” coach Neuman said. “But some of that comes with the game and the way that the game’s played at a fast speed. You’re going to get some penalties every now and then. But it’s something we’ve been doing in practice, we need to be a more physical team, and that’s part of the hockey game, to wear down the other team, and that’s how you generate some good scoring chances.”

Hunter Larson led the way for New Ulm with two goals, both in the first period, and an assist, while Brody Nordby had a goal and an assist and Keaton Weston had a goal. New Ulm’s Graham Glaser had 24 saves in the shutout.

Larson said the physicality of the game was something the team has been emphasizing in practice.

“We’ve been working of that in practice, a lot of physicality, trying to bring that up,” he said. “I think we brought it to this game. There was a lot of penalties, but it was a good, physical game and a good hockey game.”

Larson opened the scoring early, assisted by Carson Uecker and Nordby at 4:13, and scored again at 16:46, assisted by Jackson Griebel and Brody Wenner. Both goals were at ever strength, as both teams killed two penalties in the opening period.

“The first one, we had a good forecheck, and Carson Uecker passed it out to me, in front, I found the soft spot and put it in the net,” Larson said. “That was a good start. The second one, I was a little off the net, Jack Griebel made a nice play around the defense and found me in the slot, created a good scoring chance for me, and I put it in the back of the net.”

Both teams continued to bring physicality in the second period, with clean hits on both sides along with four New Ulm penalties and one Marshall penalty in the period.

Marshall had its best shot at scoring in the second, with a breakaway shot by Jacob Allen just glancing off the top bar of the net. Despite this, neither side scored in the period as defense dominated the middle portion of the game.

The scoreless streak was snapped just 24 seconds into the third period, with Weston scoring on assists from Talan Helget and Brecken Neuman at even strength. New Ulm finished the game out with the lone power play goal of the night after two quick penalties put Marshall at a three-on-five disadvantage. This led to Nordby scoring after a quick kick-out from Larson at 11:41 in the third. Uecker also received an assist on the play.

New Ulm (7-6, 4-2) hosts Redwood Valley on Saturday for New Ulm Hockey Day.