Mustangs tally fifth title game appearance with 4-0 win

Senior forward Tyler Scott is what Breck head coach Les Larson calls the straw that stirs the drink.

That drink is the Mustangs’ top line made up of Scott, Mr. Hockey finalist Chase Ellingson and William Blake, which has scored nine goals in two state tournament games.

Scott is the piece that gets the line going.

“He is the catalyst on the line,” Larson said. “He has to realize when to keep the puck and when to move the puck to Chase and Will. He has done a fabulous job at that.”

Scott scored two out of his line’s three goals to lead No. 2 seed Breck to a 4-0 victory over No. 3 seed Thief River Falls in the Class A boys’ state hockey semifinals at Xcel Energy Center on Friday.

Ellingson and Blake both scored hat tricks in the quarterfinal games against Mankato West, but Scott took the spotlight almost immediately in the second round for Breck (26-3-1).

Scott scored a goal just over three minutes into the game. Ellingson, who had the assist on the goal, extended the Mustangs’ lead to 2-0 shortly after.

“It really set the tone,” Scott said. “We played them earlier in the year, and are a fighting team. They won’t back down even down three or four goals. That start was huge.”

Although he gave up two goals on the first five shots, Thief River Falls goaltender Kade Nelson settled down, and looked more comfortable as the period proceeded.

Nelson almost escaped the second period without giving up a goal, but Scott had other ideas. Scott scored his second goal of the game and tournament with less than a minute left in the second period, giving the Mustangs a comfortable 3-0 lead heading into the second intermission.

Carter Breitenfeldt scored the team’s fourth goal late in the third period. Dalton Weigel and Justin Paulson both registered two assists for Breck.

As Breck found success in Thief River Falls’ zone, the Prowlers (23-7) struggled to attack the Breck net, mustering 18 shots through three periods. Their best chance came during a power play about half way through the period, but Thief River Falls did not even register a shot.

“They take that time and space away,” Prowlers’ coach Tim Bergland said. “You don’t have your extra half a second to make that play.”

The Mustangs also successfully slowed down Thief River Falls forward Ethan Johnson, who scored three goals in the quarterfinals. Johnson, who broke the Prowlers’ 65-year record for most goals in a season, had opportunities, but never converted.

“Our defenseman did a nice job,” Larson said. “You have to play the man on him, and you have to move your feet; when he gets the puck, hold on.”

Breck goaltender Linden Olness has yet to give up a goal in the state tournament. Olness’ play combined with the shot-blocking by the defenseman has Larson excited.

“I am a defenseman, so I love that,” Larson said. “We always tell the guys we start from our end.”

The Mustangs’ defensive efforts, combined with a potent offense, have them back in the state finals for the first time since 2010 and fifth time overall. Larson won state championships in 2009 and 2010, which were his first two years as head coach of Breck.

The biggest difference as the Mustangs head into Larson’s third state title game: how the culture has changed.

“We have created a culture of the right way to do things,” Larson said. “We believe in it, and we are going to stick to it.”

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Oberle goal lifts Eden Prairie over Maple Grove for Class 2A title

Lauren Oberle could not have picked a better time to score her first goal of the state tournament. 

After Eden Prairie gained a two-man advantage with 3:18 left in overtime, Oberle snuck the puck past Maple Grove goaltender Breanna Blesi, propelling the Eagles to a 3-2 state championship victory over the Crimson. 

Oberle’s goal earned Eden Prairie its third state title and first since 2008.

Maple Grove had momentum through the third period and into overtime, which included a puck that hit the left pipe in overtime. Thus, the Eagles knew their best opportunity to win was the 5-on-3. They didn’t want to waste it. 

“We knew we would have a lot of time on the puck, but we would just need to look for the right moment,” Oberle said. “(Naomi) Rogge saw me with the puck, and that was the right moment.”

The Crimson (22-6-2), who made their first state appearance in 2016, came in 8-8 on the penalty kill at state. The Eagles (22-7-2), however, found a way to beat it once in the second period, and when it mattered most in overtime. 

Eden Prairie coach Jaime Grossman said his team’s intelligence, which earned them section all-academic champions in 2016, played a key role in cracking the Crimson’s perfect penalty kill. 

“This is a smart group,” Grossman said. “When we teach them stuff, they pick it up pretty quickly and they execute it the way we ask them to execute it.”

The group was also smart enough not to get down after Maple Grove scored two-third period goals in 80 seconds to tie the game at 2-2 with 10:27 left in regulation. 

The way the game was finishing in the third period, it seemed Eden Prairie would walk away with the victory. But, the Crimson had other plans. 

“They continued to fight,” Maple Grove coach Amber Hegland said. 

The four goals scored in regulation was surprising considering the level of goaltending both net minders displayed in the state semifinals. 

Both Blesi and Eagles’ goaltender Alexa Dobchuk shut out their opponents on Friday night, and the goaltending battle on Saturday lived up to its billing in the first period. 

Blesi picked up right where she left off on Friday when she made 43 saves in a shut out Hill Murray. She stopped 10 shots in the first period, but her most impressive first period moment was when she denied two consecutive shots when Eden Prairie had a 2-on-1 during a Crimson power play. Blesi never lost composure, keeping her team right in the close game. She finished with 41 saves. 

Alexa Dobchuk, who stopped 28 shots in the victory, came out just as strong as Blesi, showing no signs of nerves despite the stage. 

“When you know it is going to be a tight game, you have to have faith in the Lauren Oberle’s of the team that they are going to get a goal for you,” Dobchuk said.

Anna Gravelle and Rachel Werden scored the two second period goals for the Eagles, which set up Oberle’s overtime winner. 

Eden Prairie doesn’t have any Ms. Hockey finalist, and many of its players won’t likely win individual accolades. Yet, here the Eagles stand with a state championship trophy. 

The key to their success: the players bought into playing team hockey. 

“We think some of our kids get underrated because we play a team game,” Grossman said. “There are some teams that let their kids take over games and play individual, but we ask our kids to play disciplined, system hockey.”

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St. Paul — In the 2014 state semifinals, St. Paul United players couldn’t refrain from retaliating late when the game became chippy, and it cost them the game. 

United learned from it, and are headed to the 2016 state championship because of their ability to keep their heads. 

St. Paul scored three power play goals to outlast Warroad 4-3 in the Class A girls’ state hockey semifinals on Friday at Xcel Energy Center. United (23-5-1) will play in its first state championship game on Saturday at 4 p.m.

The Warriors (24-4-1) couldn’t stay out of the penalty box, committing nine penalties against St. Paul, and United capitalized. 

“You can’t have your best players in the box, and your best players killing penalties against a team like that,” Warroad coach David Marvin said. 

When the Warriors’ best players weren’t in the box, the production was there, however. 

Although Warroad didn’t have as many shots in the early stages of the game, the Warriors made the most of their opportunities. After United forward Catherine Kerin went to the penalty box for tripping, Warroad defenseman Kaitlyn Kotlowski scored on the Warriors’ first shot of the game. 

The Warriors weren’t finished just yet. 42 seconds later, Mariah Gardner notched another goal, putting Warroad up 2-0 on two shots not even five minutes into the game. 

“We had a great start compared to any other time of the year, and it gave us that extra push to keep going harder,” Demi Gardner said. 

For Catherine Johnson, a senior goaltender of the year finalist, this was one of her worst starts to a game. 

St. Paul coach Nate Mauer, wasn’t about to lose confidence in her, however, even with Johnson giving up two goals on Warroad’s first two shots. 

‘If she was a junior or sophomore, I probably would have called a timeout after 2-0,” Mauer said. “Instead, I wanted her to get through it herself so she could figure things out. She knew what she needed to do.”

Although stunned, St. Paul settled and responded. With two Warroad players in the box, Sena Hanson scored off the face off three seconds into the 5-on-3 period of play. United nearly doubled the Warriors’ shot total in the first period, but it failed to tie the game in the first period. 

United still trailed by one, but the goal played a big part in cutting off the Warriors’ momentum. 

“It was definitely a game-changer,” Hanson said. “The whole team, I could tell, was picked up by that goal. The whole team’s moral was just lifted.”

Success bred success as Samantha Burke jammed the puck past Warroad goaltender Emma Brunelle just over a minute into the second period, tying the game at two. 

The game didn’t stayed tied for long, though. A wrap-around goal from Demi Gardner gave the Warriors the lead back, halting St. Paul’s second period momentum. 

Demi Gardner gave the Warriors the lead, but she also gave that lead away. 

As the clock ticked down in the final minutes of the second period, Gardner shoved a United skater to the ice after the whistle, sending Gardner to the penalty box for roughing. St. Paul’s Lauren Boettcher scored shortly after on the power play, tying the game with 2:55 left in the second. 

Although the Gardner sisters often found themselves scoring, they also often found themselves in the penalty box, combining for five penalties in the game. 

The last penalty on Mariah Gardner ultimately doomed Warroad. 

St. Paul forward Joie Phelps scored the go-ahead goal with 7:39 left in the game as Mariah Gardner watched from the penalty box. 

“There isn’t a better player (than Joie Phelps) with a 3-3 tie and a puck in front of the net,” Mauer said. “That is her thing. We needed a hockey play, she made it, and we are going to the state championship.”

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Prior draft experience inspires Jack Sadek to happy return

When 15-year-old Jack Sadek attended the 2012 NHL Draft with his cousin, top prospect Brady Skjei, he experienced the life of an NHL draftee.

From sitting with Skjei in Pittsburgh’s Consol Energy Center waiting to hear Skjej’s name called to watching him don the New York Rangers sweater and meet the team’s executives, the Lakeville, Minn. native  experienced much of what Skjei did that night.

While Sadek returned to Minnesota with a Rangers hat as a souvenir, the former Lakeville North defenseman also brought back something else: a dream.

“He was taken away by the draft,” Skjei said. “He really enjoyed (the draft) process and it was his goal to one day get there.”

Following a high school career that included both a state championship and a University of Minnesota commitment, Sadek did indeed return to the NHL Draft last month at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla. This time, however, Sadek brought home the sweater and hat of the Minnesota Wild—the team which drafted him in the seventh round (No. 204 overall).

“It meant a lot,” Sadek said of getting drafted by the Wild. “It’s fun how I played Minnesota high school (hockey) then will play for the University of Minnesota, then hopefully onto the Wild.

“I’m living the Minnesota dream.”

Another Sadek Division I defenseman, Jack’s sister Dani, couldn’t help but notice how elated her brother was when he realized his hockey career would continue in his home state for the foreseeable future.

“I haven’t seen him that happy in a long time,” said Dani, who will begin her sophomore season on the Ohio State University blue line in September.

Dani is just one member of Sadek’s intermediate and extended families which epitomize the word ‘athletic.’ Dani and Jack’s father, Brett Sadek, played football for the University of Minnesota after his father, Bob Sadek, played quarterback for the Golden Gophers in the early 1960’s.

The Sadek family also made an appearance in professional baseball from 1973-1981 when Mike Sadek, Jack and Dani’s great uncle, played catcher for the San Francisco Giants.

Heading into the draft process, the Wild were well aware of Jack Sadek’s lineage.

“That obviously helps when you know how athletic the family is,” Wild assistant General Manager Brent Flahr said. “We don’t obviously totally rely on genetics in our business, but it is certainly something that makes sense and is certainly not a strike against him.”

From Sadek’s athletic roots to his strong defensive play that made him a Mr. Hockey finalist in 2015, Flahr and the Wild saw it as a “no-brainer” taking Sadek in South Florida.

The 6 foot 3, 185-pound defenseman’s career is headed in the right direction, but he still has a ways to go before fans might see him play at the Xcel Energy Center in a green sweater.

“He’s a good size kid already, but he clearly needs to get stronger and put on weight, which most young kids do,” Flahr said.

Sadek will likely grow in strength and size at the University of Minnesota. But his mastery of the defenseman position will also need to continue to improve since he hasn’t played the position for that long.

“When I got my hands on him, he had just kind of made the decision to move from forward to defense, so he was really an infant in the position of defense,” Lakeville North coach Trent Eigner said. “That’s why there is a ton of potential with him because he’s not a kid who played the position for seven to eight years.”

Luckily for Sadek, he has two very knowledgable and talented relatives who know the position well: his cousin and sister.

Living just two minutes away from Sadek, Skjei played a mentor-type role to his younger cousin throughout their time growing up together.

“He always gives me tips on what I need to improve on,” Sadek said. “Brady has always been a role model of mine.”

And the future Gopher defenseman will need these tips from his cousin with what is to come.

“It’s a big adjustment for a number of these guys and it takes time and repetition, learning the game,” Flahr said. “There will be certain nights that it is going to be a big challenge for him, but at the same time, it’s a healthy learning curve.”

Even with the growing pains that will ensue, Sadek can’t help but smile knowing that he continues to live his dream, a dream that gained momentum the night he watched his cousin get drafted in Pittsburgh three years ago.

“I thought it was the coolest thing ever,” Sadek said of the 2012 draft. “I did not picture myself being drafted [back then] but I’m glad it happened.”

The post A Minnesota dream come true appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Lakeville North caps off undefeated season with 4-1 win over Duluth East

St. Paul — Before every game this season, both Lakeville North goaltender Ryan Edquist and defenseman Jack McNeely took a photo of themselves using the social media application Snapchat, always captioning their photo with “business trip” as they traveled on the bus to each game.

What started out as something fun turned into a superstition for the two teammates who realized the seriousness of their photo caption.

The Panthers had unfinished business to take care of following a state final loss to Edina in 2014, and now a year later after taking a trip of 31 victories with no losses, Lakeville North finished its business.

The Panthers capped off an impeccable season with a 4-1 victory over the Duluth East Greyhounds in the 2015 Class AA state championship at the Xcel Energy Center, Saturday night. Finishing 31-0, Lakeville North is the first team to win a state championship after going undefeated since the 1992-1993 Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars.

When Edquist joined the team before the start of the season after leaving Shattuck-St. Mary’s, the mandate from his new teammates was clear.

“I could tell right away when I got here, met the guys, that they had one goal in mind and it was to come back in this game and win it and that’s what we ended up doing,” Edquist said. “Right when I came into the program, they had it in mind that we were going to win it this year; we had the talent and we had the hard work ethic.”

In the state championship game, this hard work ethic showed from puck drop. The Panthers got off to a quick start as they out-skated the Greyhounds and asserted a physical level of play. While most of the team brought this high level of compete early, the most impressive performance was that of sophomore forward Ryan Poehling.

Lakeville North’s Ryan Poehling fires a shot in the Panthers’ 4-1 win over Duluth East to capture the school’s first state title. (MHM Photo / Jeff Wegge)

The youngest of the Poehling-trio fought a sickness all tournament long as Lakeville North head coach Trent Eigner said Ryan had been “sicker than a dog.” While the future St. Cloud State Husky struggled with illness throughout the week, he didn’t struggle to provide a spark for his team in the state title game.

Ryan Poehling took a pass from his brother Nick in the slot and fired the puck just past Greyhound goaltender Gunnar Howg’s glove to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead with 4:27 left in the first period.

Even though the youngest Poehling really had nothing left to provide for his team as sick as he was, his coach wasn’t surprised he still came up big on the biggest of stages.

“There’s a part of me that expects Ryan will always come up with something special,” Eigner said. “His tank was empty last night. The fact that he could come out and provide that kind of energy tonight was awesome.”

In the second period, the high-speed Panther offense continued right where it left off. Not even  two minutes into the second, a Poehling struck again when Jack scored his 38th goal of the season.

As Lakeville North found success in the offensive zone, the Panther defense continued to stifle the Duluth East offense throughout the game. Even when the Greyhounds had a one man advantage, they couldn’t get the puck on net mostly due to the play of defender Jack Sadek.

Sadek often displayed a calm confidence, continuously clearing the puck, and intimidating Duluth East at the blue line and in the neutral zone. After registering only one shot in the first period, the Greyhounds only mustered 13 shots on net through three periods.

After a goal from 2015 Herb Brooks award winner Angelo Altavilla in the third, Duluth East wasn’t about to give in just yet. Junior forward Ryan Peterson put the puck past Edquist on the power play to narrow the scoring gap to 3-1 at 11:21 of the third period.

Lakeville North goalie Ryan Edquist needed to make only 13 saves in the Panthers’ win over Duluth East in the Class 2A state title game. (MHM Photo / Jeff Wegge)

The Greyhounds are no strangers to coming back from a three-goal deficit, but Edquist wasn’t about to hit the panic button after giving up his only goal of the game and only his fourth goal of the tournament.

“We all know what they did the last [couple games],” Edquist said. “I had confidence in my teammates who have been able to hold onto leads.”

While Edquist wasn’t worried, the Greyhounds believed that that goal would be the one to spark a late game comeback.

“The whole game we knew we had a shot of coming back but we knew we needed to put one in first just to get it going and that was our goal,” Greyhounds’ senior forward Nick Altmann said. “So after that one went in we just started thinking ‘OK, we can do this, we can do this, we just need to get another one and we’ll get the energy back,’ but it just didn’t happen.”

Duluth East has recent experience coming back down three twice against the St. Thomas Academy Cadets in the quarterfinals and Elk River in the section championship, so there wasn’t a doubt that it could be done. But Greyhounds coach Mike Randolph believed it was too late in the game to muster another triumphant comeback.

“That’s what I was waiting for,” Randolph quipped about his team falling behind by three. “We should have done it a little earlier and we might have had a little more time.”

An empty-netter from Nick Poehling ended Duluth East’s comeback attempt, ultimately giving Lakeville North its first boys’ hockey state championship in school history. For Randolph, the coach of the Greyhounds for the past 27 years, he had nothing but respect for the Panthers squad following the loss.

“That’s why they’re 31-0, one of the best high school teams I’ve seen since I came here,” he said.

Winning the state championship involves mixed-emotions for the Panthers because of the senior class that is leaving including Sadek, Jack and Nick Poehling, McNeely, and Altavilla. But ending a high school career with a state championship victory is a best-case scenario for Jack Poehling.

“To leave as a senior with a state championship win, there’s nothing better,” Jack Poehling said. “At the end of the day, I don’t know how you can be sad leaving like this.”

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A constant presence, Mike Randolph constantly finds new ways to win

St. Paul — Mike Randolph has had no shortage of success in his 27 years as the head coach of the Duluth East Greyhounds. From two state championships to nine straight tournament trips, Randolph has won with a multitude of players and unique array of teams.

But the 2014-2015 Greyhound team perhaps posed the most difficult challenge for the veteran coach.

With a sub .500 record most of the season and finishing only 11-10-4 on the regular season, the Duluth East varsity squad raised a high amount of doubt from its fans and other onlookers.

“There was a lot of negative talk out there about that we would be the first team in nine years to not make the tournament,” Randolph said. “We’d be the first team to have a losing record at [Duluth] East ever.”

Yet, the Greyhounds righted their season, returned to the 2015 Class AA boys’ state hockey tournament and their story only continues, now headed to the state final after a fourth-straight upset, defeating No. 2 Edina 3-1.

The 2014-2015 Duluth East Greyhounds portray similar qualities to many of the previous teams that Randolph coached, but they aren’t quite “at the skill level.”

What the team lacked in skill, they made up for in strong leadership.

Randolph believes the team wouldn’t have returned to the state tournament if it weren’t for captains Nick Altmann and Brian Bunten who silenced the outside criticism that the team received in their low moments throughout the season.

“Bunten and Altmann have done an incredible job of staying the course,” Randolph said.”There was lot’s of noise. The leadership group has done a nice job of blocking that noise out in our group and continuing to work.”

Mike Randolph embraces Greyhounds’ goaltender Gunner Howg after Duluth East’s improbable win over Edina. (MHM Photo / Jonathan Watkins)

The loudest outside noise came after a game in late December when the Greyhounds traveled to Braemar Arena, the home of Edina, and were defeated 7-1.

“It was kind of one of our most embarrassing defeats,” Randolph said. “They wanted to have the opportunity to show Edina that we’re better than that.”

In the state semifinals, the Greyhounds did more than just improve, they also knocked the two-time reigning champion Edina Hornets out of the state tournament.

The regular season was far from desirable for Duluth East. But Randolph made sure his team saw the first 25 games as a lesson rather than something that defined them, heading into the postseason.

“Really, we emphasize during the season that the regular season is more or less 25 lesson plans and the real season starts in the first round of the playoffs,” Randolph said.

Now defined as the team that can beat any team on any given day, the Greyhounds embrace their underdog role. Randolph’s team knocked off No. 19 Grand Rapids and No. 6 Elk River in section play as well as No. 4 St. Thomas Academy and No. 2 Edina in the state tournament.

Down at some point in the game in nearly all four upsets, Duluth East is the epitome of a team capable of turning things around, which is something they’ve done often, thanks to the leadership on the team.

“Whenever your captains are two of your hardest workers and they continue to work hard, you have a chance to turn it around,” Randolph said. “And to their credit, they have.”

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Mittelstadt, Graham score twice to lead Eden Prairie over Blaine

St. Paul — At this time last year, the name Casey Mittelstadt wasn’t known by the majority of those attending the boys’ state hockey tournament. While Eden Prairie made a state tournament appearance in 2014, Mittelstadt did not as he was still a bantam.

A year later, Mittelstadt is already making a name for himself at the Xcel Energy Center and the Blaine Bengals received their introduction on Thursday night.

The first-year varsity starter scored two of Eden Prairie’s first three goals to lead the Eagles to a 5-3 victory over the Bengals in the Class 2A boys’ state hockey tournament quarterfinals. The Eagles will face the No. 1 seeded Lakeville North Panthers — who outlasted Eden Prairie 5-4 in three overtimes last year — in the state semifinals.

In Middelstadt’s state tournament debut, he couldn’t have had a much better experience.

“It’s pretty much indescribable,” Middelstadt said of the state atmosphere. “It’s crazy out there. There’s so many people here and I grew up every year coming to it, skipping school, so it’s pretty special to be out there.”

While it was a surreal moment getting to play in a tournament he watched as a youth hockey player, the University of Minnesota commit had to make sure his nerves didn’t get the best of him. But when he lit the lamp for his first time in the state tournament, his nerves disappeared.

When a shot from Mittelstadt nailed the Blaine post with just under four minutes remaining in the first period, it foreshadowed his goal that came less than 30 seconds later as he redirected teammate Brady Schoo’s shot from the point, into the Bengal net. The sophomore forward would later score his 26th goal of the season with 10:10 left in the second period, giving Eden Prairie a 3-1 lead.

“Coming in, you’re pretty nervous,” Middelstadt said. “I was trying to calm the nerves down in warmups. It’s a big stage and I grew up coming every year. It was nice to get [a goal] early and settle into the game a little bit.”

A 3-1 deficit proved to be too much for a Bengal offense that struggled all night to put any pucks on the Eagle net. Through three periods, an Eden Prairie defense led by Nicky Leivermann held a potent Blaine offense that averages almost five goals per game, entering the tournament, to just three scores and 12 total shots on net.

As the Bengals continued to struggle to produce on offense, the Eagles continued to find even more success in their offensive zone. Their other leading scorer, Michael Graham, tallied two goals of his own with his second goal coming with 5:05 left in the second period.

The lead that Eden Prairie’s top two scorers provided proved to be enough to defeat the Blaine Bengals and Eagles head coach Lee Smith knows he’ll need similar production for his team to continue to win at the Xcel Energy Center this weekend.

“The only chance you have of winning a state tournament is your top guys playing big,” Smith said. “And our guys did tonight, and they’ll have to again tomorrow night.”

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St. Paul — Upsetting top-ranked teams is becoming a weekly habit for the Duluth East Greyhounds.

A week after defeating No. 6 ranked Elk River in the Section 7AA final, the Greyhounds defeated the No. 4 ranked St. Thomas Academy Cadets 6-5 in overtime, Thursday, in the Class 2A boys’ hockey quarterfinals. Random draw Duluth East will face the No. 2 seeded Edina Hornets in the state semifinals on Friday at 6 pm at the Xcel Energy Center.

While coming back from a three goal deficit may be a daunting task for most teams, it’s a comfortable area for Duluth East. The Greyhounds came back from a three-goal deficit twice in the game, and head coach Mike Randolph has yet to complain.

“I hate four,” Randolph joked.

While heavily favored coming into the game, the Cadets were the underdog heading into overtime. Playing in their tenth overtime period of the season, Duluth East carried the experience and the momentum, having scored two goals in the final three minutes of regulation to tie it.

And this momentum ultimately provided the Greyhounds with the overtime-winner from junior forward Ryan Peterson.

“We had momentum in the zone,” Peterson said. “We were throwing pucks on net all night. One fell right in front, I got a stick on it, and lucky the puck went in.”

But that momentum wasn’t there to begin with.

Early in the game, the Greyhounds found themselves down 3-0 following goals by Brian Hurley, Danny Weihrauch and Peter Tufto.

Momentum constantly shifted sides all game. After the Cadets jumped out to a three-goal lead with less than seven minutes left in the first period, Duluth East went into the locker room only down 3-2 after two goals in the final 90 seconds.

But Mr. Hockey Finalist Peter Tufto continued to lead the offensive charge for St. Thomas Academy. The senior forward, who scored two goals and had three assists, gave his team a 5-2 lead entering the third period.

While this lead lasted for most of the period, the final three minutes made the difference. Alex Broetzman headed to the box 13:17 into the third period and Evan Little took advantage, narrowing the gap to 5-4.

The momentum took a full and complete swing to Duluth East when senior forward Nick Funk buried the puck past Cadet goaltender Matt Snow, with 1:56 left in regulation.

The up-and-down game could have flustered the Greyhounds, but captain Brian Bunten made sure that his teammates stayed the course through adversity.

“After each [Cadet] goal or mistake, we just kept saying, ‘keep believing, keep believing, and keep working hard and stick to the system, it will work.’” Bunten said.

Sticking to the system worked well for Duluth East as Peterson shot the puck into the St. Thomas Academy net, sending his team onto the state semifinal. Puck possession wasn’t frequent for the Greyhounds in the victory, but Randolph’s squad has learned to adjust.

“We have had to learn how to play without the puck,” Randolph said. “We didn’t have the puck much. Elk River had the puck all night and Edina will have the puck tomorrow night. All that matters is that we’re playing at 6 pm, not 10 am.”

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Masterman scores twice as Edina withstands Bemidji rally

St. Paul — Making their first state appearance since 1986, the Bemidji Lumberjacks didn’t have time to ease back into the state atmosphere. The two-time defending state champion Edina Hornets jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but once the Lumberjacks were acclimated, Edina barely snuck away with the victory.

The Hornets survived a two-goal surge by Bemidji to defeat the Lumberjacks 6-4 in the Class 2A boys’ state hockey quarterfinals on Thursday at the Xcel Energy Center. Edina will face the winner of the matchup between the No. 3 seed St. Thomas Academy Cadets and the random draw Duluth East Greyhounds.

Hornets’ coach Curt Giles sees Edina’s ability to finish off the Lumberjacks lucky considering the type of game it was in the end.

“A game like this, you push, they push back, and then you push back again,” Giles said. “It went back and forth a couple times and fortunately for us, we came out on top.”

The Lumberjacks displayed a nervous energy to start the game and Edina took advantage. Bemidji netminder Grant Tharaldson appeared to lack confidence in the opening minutes of the state quarterfinal and Edina forward Matt Masterman made sure to make the most of the opportunity.

Masterman’s score along with goals from Garrett Wait and Parker Mismash, gave the Hornets a 3-0 lead halfway through the period, a lead they took with them into the locker room.

“They were a little shaky in the beginning,” Masterman said of the Lumberjacks. “It was nice to get the offense going early.”

But even with the early lead, the Lumberjacks weren’t about to call it a game after the first. As the Hornets sat with comfortably up 3-0, Bemidji made the Hornets uncomfortable.

Quickly.

16 seconds into the second period, junior forward Rocky Copiskey buried the puck in the Edina net and 27 seconds later, Copiskey passed the puck to teammate Nick Leitner who scored once again on Edina goaltender Kobi Boe.

Despite the team’s lack of state tournament experience facing hockey giant Edina, Bemidji coach Wade Chiodo didn’t let his team panic, down 3-0.

“We just stayed the course,” Chiodo said. “We talk about it all the time: what’s our game? What are we going to do? What our M.O.? What’s our identity? Those are things we talk about non-stop.”

Hanging on to a 3-2 lead, the Hornets also stayed the course. After they settled themselves, the Curt Giles led team got right back to where they started early in the game. Even with the second-period surge from the Lumberjacks, Edina extended its lead to 5-2 with goals from Bram Scheerer and Masterman.

Yet, as the Hornets appeared to be headed on their way to the state semifinals, the Lumberjacks weren’t about to hand over the victory. Two goals in the final minute from Jack Johnson and Josh Lusby narrowed the gap to 5-4, but an empty-netter from Edina’s Casey Dornbach ended Bemidji’s state semifinal hopes.

Giles keeps the game in perspective whenever his team allows another team back in.

“Sometimes you forget these are 16 and 17 year old kids, not pros or college players,” Giles said. “The tendency is that when you are up by a couple goals you just kind of get through this process and just glide through this thing.

A state semifinal berth didn’t come as easy for the Hornets as it has in years past, and Giles attributes this to Bemidji’s fight till the final whistle.

“I give Bemidji credit,” Giles said. “The easy thing [for them] to do was say, ‘hey we’ve had a nice tournament. We played the 11 o’clock game 5-2, and let’s take our work home.’ They played hard right to the very end.”

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Lakeville North rolls over Farmington for Section 1AA title

ROCHESTER – With six future Division-I hockey players, the Lakeville North boys’ hockey team has no shortage of talent. But even with a star-studded lineup that includes the three Poehling brothers, it wasn’t a senior DI commit who led the Panthers back to their third consecutive title appearance.

But instead it was sophomore wing Henry Enebak. 

Enebak scored three goals to lead the Panthers to a 6-1 victory over the Farmington Tigers in the Section 1AA final at the Rochester Recreational Center on Thursday night. Lakeville North returns for its third straight trip to the Xcel Energy Center where they look to avenge a state final loss to Edina. 

After scoring a goal in the first period, Enebak shut the door on the Tigers’ hopes of a comeback in the third when he scored two goals. Even though Farmington trailed by a three point margin, their fans didn’t show it. But when Enebak lit the lamp twice just minutes apart, he silenced the electrified Tiger crowd. 

Enebak and the team knew a fast start in the final period would provide a state tournament berth.

“We were in the locker room between the second and third and we knew we needed to do something to take their energy away,” Enebak said. “We knew it was going to be tough and they were going to come out on all cylinders so it was big to get [the goals].”

It wasn’t just the third period that the Panthers came out firing on all cylinders. Lakeville North’s offensive attack asserted itself early when senior forward Nick Poehling started off the scoring as he sped down the ice and rocketed the puck into the Farmington net from just outside the circle. 

Despite a goal from the Tigers in the first 30 seconds of the second period, Lakeville North didn’t lose focus on their ultimate goal. Jack Poehling tallied two goals and combined with Enebak’s hat trick performance, the Panther offensive firepower proved too much for Farmington.  

Now headed back to the Xcel Energy Center for ‘the Tourney’, the Panthers aren’t about to let their number one ranking get to their heads as they look to win their first state championship in school history.

“They have a great appreciation of where we’ve come from,” Lakeville North head coach Trent Eigner said. “I don’t think they take anything for granted. Our juniors and seniors especially have put in a lot of time and effort to get our team to this point and they take a lot of pride in our effort on a nightly basis.”

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