Matthew Davis writes about coach Mike Randolph netting his 708th career victory behind the bench.

This story was originally published in the MHM 2024-25 High School Preview issue.

The post All-Time Winner appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Last year, the Tommies had two former Colorado College players on the roster. With center Matthew Gleason sticking around for one more year, UST added two more in defenseman Chase Foley and forward Ray Christy to have a total of three former Tigers on the Tommies roster this season.

Gleason grew up with Christy and then played against him and Foley in high school before they eventually all went off to Colorado Springs.

“I was actually really good buddies growing up with Ray’s younger brother Robert,” Gleason said. “He was my age growing up, so we were always on the same youth teams. And then Ray was on my older brother’s team. That’s how we connected. Chase, I didn’t know too much, but we did the same summer training program growing up, so we crossed paths with that and also playing against each other. All three us were on the same high school elite league team as well.

Added Foley: “We all kind of committed to CC around the same time, so we definitely knew each other going in, and it’s special that all three of us were committed from the same area.”

First stop: Colorado College
All three were recruited to CC by former Tigers assistant coach and current Tommies assistant coach Leon Hayward. Foley liked the idea of playing where his dad played hockey and his parents met, while Christy also had a family connection.

Ray Christy, playing for Colorado College, takes a shot during a 4-3 win over Denver University on March 8, 2024. Christy played at St. Thomas Academy in high school, and has come full-circle returning to play for the University of St. Thomas. (Photo courtesy of Colorado College athletic department)

“I originally committed there with my brother, so it was just an opportunity that we couldn’t pass up,” Christy said. “Another big factor was Chase’s dad played there, and he had a super big impact on not only myself, but Chase’s career and my brother Robert’s career. It just was a cool spot and a great opportunity.”

Once they all arrived on campus, it didn’t take long for the guys to reconnect and strengthen their bonds.

“It was awesome just moving in,” Gleason said. “I started second semester of my freshmen year moving into an apartment with those guys and Jackson Jutting (Bemidji State) and Jack Millar (AHL Ontario Reign). So, that was awesome. Just always growing up playing against each other either, especially with the Cretin (Derham Hall) and St. Thomas Academy rivalry. That was cool just becoming teammates and building that brotherhood and memories on and off the ice.”

Their freshman year was during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“So, there were barely any students on campus,” Foley said. “We could basically only hang out with your team because you weren’t allowed to be in groups bigger than 10 or so people. We got really close our freshman year and then it just continued into sophomore and junior year when Matthew was still there. We hung with each other away from the rink and going over to each other’s apartments to watch movies and hanging out. It was a lot of fun.”

One might think that because Gleason and Christy are forwards that they might’ve played a lot together, but the twosome only played two shifts together their entire careers with the Tigers. One time was during a game at Western Michigan in Gleason’s last season at CC, and the other was a game against CC’s archrival, Denver, which resulted in a memory the two of them can laugh at now.

“We were playing Denver, and me, Matt and Jackson Jutting all ran for the hills, and the Denver guys took the puck and put it in the back of the net,” Christy said, with a laugh. “It was memorable for the wrong reasons.”

Next stop: University of St. Thomas
In 2023-24, Gleason transferred to UST, while the other two stayed with the Tigers for another year and had the best seasons of their college careers after battling injuries through a good chunk of their time at CC. After last season, Christy and Foley entered the portal and were enticed about the idea to come back to their home rink.

Chase Foley carries the puck for Colorado College in a game against Arizona State on Dec. 1, 2023. This season, Foley has six assists in 10 games for St. Thomas. (Photo courtesy of Colorado College athletic department)

“There’s a lot of factors going into it, but I think the number one thing was being able to play at home in front of some friends and family,” Foley said. “So, they don’t have to travel as much to Colorado Springs. There’s other ones, too. Ray was obviously going to come here, and Matthew was one of my really good friends, and I wanted to be able to reconnect with those guys and being able to play Division I hockey at home is something pretty special and not everybody gets the opportunity to do.”

When St. Thomas coach Rico Blasi called, Christy said it was an opportunity to come home.

“I enjoyed my time in Colorado, it was great, but the opportunity to come home and be part of a new program that was on the rise was something that really interested me.” Christy said.

Hayward said Christy and Foley both fill a specific need on the Tommies roster, with Christy serving as a good replacement for another CC transfer in Noah Prokop and Foley being a leader on the power play.

“Ray knows who he is as a player,” Hayward said. “I don’t think he came here saying ‘Hey, I want to be on the power play’ or ‘I want to do this, or I want to do that.’ He really wanted to be part of a team and a team that has a chance to win some games and compete. I think that’s what ultimately drew us to him and him to us. I think it was a good fit in terms of stylistically what we were looking for at the time and what he had to offer.

“Chase is a power play 1-type guy with great hockey sense. He’s elusive. He’s just a really smart player, and he always has been. That was something we were looking for, for our power play and frankly, I don’t think we had had the first three years here at St. Thomas. So, he was a very specific need. Certainly, for us the portal has changed from ‘Hey, let’s just get guys to fill spots’ to ‘We have a very specific need and does this player fill it?’ Chase is a prime example of that. He had a few other options at some bigger schools, and I think we lucked out with obviously a little bit of a relationship there and then being able to come close to home. So, it worked out. But he was very specific. We really needed someone to run a power play, and I think you’re seeing that now and what that kind of means to our team.”

Reunited, and it feels so good
Now that they’ve all been reunited, Gleason and Foley are off to solid starts as the former is second on the team in goals and the latter is second in assists. Christy also returned to the lineup last weekend against Bowling Green after being out for two weeks with an injury. Almost two months into the season, the two newcomers feel that they’ve fit in nicely within the Tommies roster.

“Coming into a new team, it’s always a little nerve racking because you don’t know what you’re going to get,” Foley said. “But from the first workout in the summer, the sense you get from the guys is the team is bigger than the individual. That’s something that’s super easy to pick up on in our locker room. Everybody is playing for the guy next to them. Nobody is playing for themselves. Everyone has the greater goal, which is a championship in mind.

Added Christy: “It’s been great. I’ve been playing with them for quite a bit now. I know their games inside and out. Just having that special experience, just knowing where they’re going to be at and what plays they usually make. Off the ice, it does a lot because we have such good friendships where we’re not afraid to push each other or confront each other if things aren’t going the right way. To have those types of teammates that can be a rock and kind of build you to motivate yourself to be better, I’m super grateful to have them.”

Now that he’s played with both Christy and Foley at two colleges, Gleason says he’s built up a tight connection with both, and he said that benefits the team.

Matthew Gleason has five goals and one assist in 11 games with St. Thomas this season, matching his goal total from 2023-24 with the Tommies. (MHM Photo / Ryan Stieg)

“Just during office conversations (with Christy), we always saw the game the same way,” Gleason said. “I think the cool thing with Ray is that he’s an older guy and he’s seen a lot of hockey. So, we have a lot of conversations about how the game works and what we can do as players to be better in those situations and how we can attack different teams. Basically, just work on our strengths to be more effective in games.

“With Foley, you understand the way somebody works on the ice and how they react as a person, it makes the communication better. I think that’s the biggest thing with playing with guys you build a relationship with. You know how to talk to each other. Sometimes you need to scream at each other and sometimes you just need to have a conversation. Just overall, getting on the same page and working toward that end goal.”

According to all three of them, that end goal is a CCHA championship. The Tommies were predicted to win the conference in the preseason CCHA polls, and even though they’ve gotten off to a bumpy start, they all believe that the team still has what it takes to finish at the top in their final collegiate seasons.

“For me personally, that’s what I want to hang my hat on here at St. Thomas,” Gleason said. “Helping the culture move forward brick by brick, as Rico always says. Building those relationships with guys and winning a conference championship and hanging that first banner in the new rink for those guys next year and the history going forward.”

Foley and Christy agreed with Gleason’s thoughts and said they’ll keep striving to make that happen.

“That was our goal at the beginning of the year and nothing’s changed,” Foley said. “That’s what we’re all working hard for.”

The post Tigers To Tommies appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

No, not win an NCAA national championship. That happened for the first time Saturday night with Denver. But he’s scored game-winning goals on the ice sheet at Xcel Energy Center in a couple of big games to help his team pull off the upsets of a top-seeded opponent.

Skating in a Denver Pioneers sweater Saturday, Wright scored about halfway through the second period to give his team a 1-0 lead over No. 1 Boston College (34-6-1) in the Frozen Four national championship game. It turned out to be all the Pioneers (32-9-3) needed on the way to a 2-0 shutout of BC for Denver’s 10th national championship in program history and second in three years; no program has won more national titles.

“I think it’s the biggest moment of my life,” Wright said. “I’m just so proud to be a Pio and a part of this program.”

Jared Wright (center) and his Denver teammates celebrated two goals on the ice before eventually celebrating the program’s 10th NCAA championship. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Wright, a Burnsville native, celebrated with his teammates in his home state. It’s also been about four years since he helped his St. Thomas Academy to an upset victory in the state high school hockey tournament as a junior. In the 2020 tournament, Wright also scored a second-period goal which held up for the winner in the Class 2A quarterfinals as the unseeded Cadets upset top-seeded Andover 3-2.

The Cadets took fourth place in 2020 and reached state the next season but lost to Eden Prairie in the quarterfinals. Wright was a senior captain that season, finishing second in scoring with 16 goals and 38 points in 21 games. He only scored six goals but added 18 assists in his junior season.

Before coming to Denver, Wright scored 15 goals and 19 assists during the regular season with Omaha in the USHL.

Though the high school tournament offered a couple of bright spots, Wright didn’t get the chance to celebrate a state championship that so many hope to achieve.

“Obviously, that’s a big dream growing up in Minnesota to win that,” Wright said, of the high school state tournament. “Winning this is I think so much bigger. It’s the pinnacle of my life so far.”

Making such a contribution to his team on the biggest stage in college hockey is huge. But doing it in his home state?

“It just means everything,” Wright said. “Especially with my grandparents, don’t get to see me a whole lot in Denver. So, just scoring in front of them, and then also my mom and brothers and family, it just means the world to me.”

Minnesota connects
For all of the pre-Frozen Four chatter around the state of hockey lamenting the fact that none of the Minnesota teams made it to St. Paul, the Frozen Four still offered some home cooking. Among the final four teams, seven Minnesota natives were listed on the rosters. Of those, five players hit the ice over the weekend. Two of them played for Denver in Wright and his teammate Tristan Broz, former Gophers player and Blake School graduate, who scored the overtime winner in Thursday’s semifinal.

Sophomore Rieger Lorenz is pumped after scoring Denver’s second goal of the game against BC. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Though not a Minnesota native, Minnesota Wild prospect Rieger Lorenz assisted on Wright’s goal and scored the second goal in the championship game. As Wright did in the postgame press conference four years ago when St. Thomas Academy upset Andover, he praised teammates for their contributions to his goal in the NCAA title game.

“Rieger made an awesome play to get it back to me,” Wright said. “Just kind of threw it blind to the net, and I was lucky enough it rolled in.”

That Lorenz and Wright line, the two sophomore wingers combined with freshman center Kieran Cebrian, was responsible for the goal-scoring in the championship game. Also credit to defensemen Shai Buium, Sean Behrens and Zeev Buium for their assists, especially the pass along the boards from Zeev to Rieger.

“I think we move our feet a lot, stay above pucks,” Wright said. “We reload really well. I’m beyond blessed to play with Zeevs and Rieger. And I think we just complement each other really well.”

Road to Denver
Wright played for three seasons with St. Thomas Academy, and he also skated in a few games with the Minot Minotauros in the NAHL during that 2020-21 season before a year with Omaha in the USHL. His visit to Denver’s campus, plus the people and the coaches, all went into his decision to make Denver University his college home, he said. Wright added that he’s “very lucky that this coaching staff saw something in me” and is grateful for the opportunity to play.

Denver coach David Carle complimented winger Jared Wright on the different ways he’s found to score goals this season. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Perhaps that notable “something” was Wright’s speed. Denver coach David Carle referred to his speed as “exceptional” and said that he’s not sure if there is a faster player in college hockey than Wright. The sophomore finished the season with 15 goals and 10 assists. As his offensive confidence keeps growing, Carle said Wright is learning to score in different ways.

In Saturday’s game, Wright tried to make it a two-goal effort with a breakaway tally only a couple of minutes after his goal, but he was denied by Boston College goaltender Jacob Fowler. Carle noted that Wright had a few of those types of breakaway goals throughout this season and last.

“But he’s scoring in different ways around the net, finding open ice in quiet areas,” Carle said. “So, that’s been great to see.

“And he’s the nicest human you’ll ever meet. Amazing, amazing kid. So proud of him. Teammates love him. You can tell how much it means to him to be here and to be part of this, and there’s not many people that you cheer harder for than Jared Wright, I’ll tell you that.”

The post The Wright Stuff appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

For 50 years, the St. Paul Capitals Hockey Association has provided generations of players – from mini-mites to Bantams – the opportunity to learn, compete and enjoy the sport on hometown rinks in their own community.

The organization has evolved from its inception as the Highland Hockey Association, which, in 1973, was one of many organizations supporting neighborhood and local park teams.

Highland joined forces with the Midway neighborhood of St. Paul in 1987, eventually becoming the Highland Central Capitals. In 2014, its current incarnation, the St. Paul Capitals as it is known today, became permanent.

Much has changed since the early days of the organization, but much has stayed the same, according to Capitals board president Julie Bustos, who’s been involved for years as a board member as well as a parent, having three kids participate in the program.

In the buildup to the 50th anniversary celebration, Bustos connected with a number of people involved in the early years of the association and heard first-hand how their shared experiences forged lasting bonds.

“There’s a lot of pride built into that,” Bustos said. “It was amazing to hear their stories about how much hockey meant to players both on the ice, as well as skills and things that they applied in their life off the ice, the friendships that they made that they still have.”

Matt Funk is the athletic director and boys hockey coach at Cretin-Derham Hall and knows the value the Capitals provide not just the community, but his program as well. Funk’s grandfather, Bill, coached at the University of St. Thomas, and in 1973, was one of the founders of the association, creating opportunities for three generations of Funks who went to play and coach in St. Paul high schools and colleges.

The St. Paul Capitals Hockey Association started as the Highland Hockey Association. (Photo courtesy of St. Paul Capitals Hockey Association)

“We’re rooted in St. Paul hockey. It’s not just a game. It’s about the lifelong skills you learn and the memories and friends you make,” Funk said. “The history here is remarkable and we need to keep that going for generations to come.”

Mike Vannelli also knows all about hockey friendships and lasting traditions. The Vannelli family is synonymous with hockey in St. Paul. Mike’s father, Tom Vannelli, played for Herb Brooks at the University of Minnesota, and was a freshman in 1974 when the Gophers won their first national championship. As a sophomore, the elder Vannelli was second in scoring for the WCHA champion Gophers.

Tom was head coach at Cretin-Derham Hall and co-head coach with his brother, Greg, at St. Thomas Academy. Mike played his high school hockey for his father at Cretin; and he played four years for the Gophers under Don Lucia, where he won a national championship before several seasons in Europe.

But prior to skating at Mariucci – or for the perennially powerful Raiders – Mike Vannelli came of age with the Highland Central Capitals.

“There’s a phenomenal sense of community,” Mike Vannelli said. “There’s a lot of kids that are playing in the association that are second, third, some are even fourth generation. And so, it’s pretty special in that regard. And it’s a very tight knit community.”

Today, Mike Vannelli’s son and daughter play in the Capitals program, where he is doing double time as vice president of boys hockey, as well as coach of his son’s squirt team.

“There’s so many things that as a parent and coach that you see that they’re able to get out of it,” Mike Vannelli said. “First and foremost, it seems like they’ve built some amazing friendships that they’ll be able to carry with them the rest of their lives.”

Mike Vannelli points to the fun he sees his kids having with teammates – in practices and in games, both structured and unstructured, inside arenas and outdoors in parks – as invaluable experiences, providing not just enjoyment, but lifetime lessons.

“The qualities that they begin to get instilled in them through competition, accountability, just learning to be a good teammate; what that means, essentially translates to being a good person on and off the ice,” he said.

How can the Capitals keep moving forward? 
After decades of creating those experiences for thousands of St. Paul kids, the Capitals are now faced with an existential challenge: how to keep the organization vital and thriving for the next 50 years and beyond. Ice time has grown scarce, and expensive, while participation costs continue to increase.

During the 2023-24 season, fees for squirt and 10U were $1,220; and that number only rises for older players.

The Capitals are working to keep the program viable for future generations. (Photo courtesy of St. Paul Capitals Hockey Association)

“We’re challenged with finding ways to try and keep that cost as manageable as possible,” Mike Vannelli said. “And there’s some folks within our association that have done an amazing job with some fundraising efforts that they’ve kicked off.”

With rising costs and dwindling numbers already having claimed most of St. Paul’s youth programs, the Capitals are working in-season and out to keep their program viable for future generations.

“It’s a little bittersweet to be honest with you,” said Jim Runyon, director of fundraising for the Capitals and a lifelong St. Paul resident who grew up playing in the Central Hockey Association.

Runyon can’t help but think of the thriving programs in the parks and recreation system when he was growing up. Associations like Battle Creek, Phalen and Conway, among numerous others, no longer exist.

“There were probably 25 organizations in St. Paul that offered really good, quality competitive hockey,” Runyon said. “So, to celebrate our 50th was great because you feel like ‘Wow, this is a long time that kids have been playing hockey here,’ but you also look at who’s still around and it’s kind of sad to see.”

But Runyon is quick to call out the silver lining the Capitals have sought: New fundraising efforts which are now the lifeblood of the program.

Kelly Rand, the association’s gambling coordinator, has set the course for the Capitals to raise funds as suburban programs like Woodbury, White Bear Lake, Eagan and Edina have through legalized gambling or, more specifically, pull-tabs and Bingo, through exclusive agreements with local establishments.

“A year and a half ago, we became licensed. We started with one bar, and a bar and restaurant,” Runyon said. “We now have two up and running and we’re trying to play catch up.”

Creating financial stability as hockey costs rise
The goal is to generate more than just fast funding – which is needed – but to create generational stability for the association.

“The costs of hockey are going up too fast,” Runyon said. “And in order to sustain it, we had to put on the brakes, and the only way to do that was to set up some sort of endowment.”

The growing need inspired the St. Paul Capital’s Legacy Fund, which will maintain proceeds for investment, with a small percentage coming out each year to fund the program.

“We have to work a little bit harder, but more importantly, we have to be smarter about what we do with our money,” Runyon said. ‘That money is dedicated and restricted so that for the next 50 years, kids in St. Paul will have an opportunity to play hockey.”

The results are encouraging for coaches, parents and their kids. And for leaders like Bustos, who’s seen hockey evolve since her playing days, before girls hockey was ever a thought.

Bustos competed exclusively with boys in the Tartan Area youth league until Bantams. So for her, the focus is always about providing opportunities for kids to participate – now and well into the future.

“How do we keep this association and the service that it brings to the community alive and vibrant?” she asked, rhetorically. “We want to produce the same kind of emotional connections and life connections and athletic development that we’ve been providing for the last 50 years.

“My dad coached me and now I’m coaching my kid and I want to make sure that my kid has a chance to coach their kids.”

The post 50 Years And Counting appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

When asked about it after the game, Hill-Murray coach Bill Lechner responded, “I guess I didn’t think of it that way but does that happen very often?”

The answer to Lechner’s question is no. In fact, it marks the first time since 2008 that one conference can claim both state champions going back to when the Classic Suburban Conference, featuring Hill-Murray and St. Thomas Academy, managed the same feat. It was also the last time two East Metro teams have claimed state titles in the same season. 

Coincidentally, that was the last time the Pioneers skated off as Class 2A champions. The 2008 Classic Suburban winners were joined by conference runner-up St. Thomas Academy, which won the Class 1A title that year. The Cadets made it a trio of Metro East teams qualifying for the 2020 state tournament, this time as a Class 2A competitor, and advanced to the semifinals before falling to the Pioneers 3-2 on Charlie Strobel’s overtime goal. 

The 2008 Pioneers also beat St. Thomas Academy in overtime at Xcel Energy Center but that came in late January as part of the 2nd-annual Hockey Day Minnesota festivities based in Baudette. Three days later, a 5-4 overtime win over Mahtomedi clinched the conference title for Hill-Murray.

The Pioneers went on to defeat Roseau 4-2 in the Class 2A semifinals, ending the Rams’ 42-game winning streak dating back to the previous season. The Pioneers won the state title with a 3-0 win over another West Metro power Edina.

Mahtomedi coach Jeff Poeschl addresses his team on the bench during his team’s Class 1A quarterfinal win over Delano on Wednesday, March 4, 2020 at Xcel Energy Center. (Photo: Tim Kolehmainen / Breakdown Sports USA)

Hill-Murray coach Bill Lechner’s second state championship came in his 14th tournament appearance (11th in the last 15 years) which includes five trips to the Class 2A final. For Mahtomedi coach Jeff Poeschl, on the other hand, Saturday’s win gave the Zephyrs their first Class 1A state title overall and first in nine trips to the state tournament under Poeschl after three third place finishes (1994, 2015 and 2019).

“They did a great job and it was fun for Poeschy,” Lechner said. “We sent them a little congrats before our game so, yeah, that’s pretty neat.”

The ties between Lechner, Hill-Murray and Poeschl run deep dating back to the 1979-80 season when Poeschl was a senior 3-year starter for the Pioneers during Lechner’s first season as a Hill-Murray assistant coach under Terry Skrypek. One of Poeschl’s teammates, Bill Schafhauser, is Hill-Murray’s girls’ varsity coach and the brother of current Lechner assistant, Pat Schafhauser.

Now they coach at schools slightly more than six miles apart and have done so since the 1997-98 season.

“There’s certainly an awful lot of pride for the East Metro,” Poeschl said. “For as much as we hear about the West Metro and the teams, not to take anything away from them, but we often are in the shadow of the Edinas and the Wayzatas and the Benildes and Eden Prairies and, you know, the list goes on.

“But [I’m] awfully proud of the East Metro and the way that we’ve represented our conference.”

The post East Metro Reigns Again appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The post Class 2A SF Gallery: Pioneers vs. Cadets appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Not until late Friday night in the second Class 2A semifinal.

In the final 30 seconds of the first overtime period, it was Hill-Murray senior captain Charlie Strobel who got just enough of his stick on the puck in front of the net to send it toward the goal line and it eventually trickled over the line.

“It was an unbelievable feeling,” Strobel said. “I felt us, as a team, gave it our all. We’re a pretty tight group. And I just tried my best to get it in the back of the net.”

The goal, coming with 21.4 seconds on the clock, sent the Pioneers to the state title game with a 3-2 victory over unseeded St. Thomas Academy.

Hill-Murray outshot the Cadets 8-0 in overtime. Coach Bill Lechner called Strobel the “heartbeat” of the team.

“It makes you feel good as a coach that they were prepared for overtime and still had a jump in their step,” Lechner said. “I could truly tell that they weren’t going to let this one go.”

Hill-Murray’s Dylan Godbout takes one of his three shots that didn’t go in during Friday night’s 3-2 overtime win over St. Thomas Academy at Xcel Energy Center. Godbout did score twice, however, to help the Pioneers reach Saturday night’s Class 2A final against 2019 runner-up Eden Prairie. (Photo: Tim Kolehmainen / Breakdown Sports USA)

The fifth-seeded Pioneers grabbed the lead thanks to a pair of early, power-play goals from sophomore Dylan Godbout. His first came just 1 minute, 28 seconds into the game. He made it 2-0 nearly five minutes later. Hill-Murray came out with the fast start, outshooting the Cadets 11-5 in the first period.

Sophomore Nick Pierre, who had two goals and an assist in the quarterfinals against Moorhead, assisted on both goals.

That took a hit just 59 seconds into the third period, when Riley O’Brien got in tight and fired a high shot over the blocker of senior Hill-Murray goaltender Remington Keopple to make it 2-1.

A power play later in the period helped St. Thomas Academy tie the game at 2 apiece with 6:16 left in regulation. Senior defenseman Charlie Killian’s point shot found its way through and bounced into the net.

“I was honestly not surprised our kids responded,” said St. Thomas Academy coach Trent Eigner, who mentioned his players were “emotionally fatigued” following Thursday’s upset of top-seeded Andover.

The Cadets have just two losses on their schedule since Jan. 30 Both of them have been by 3-2 scores to Hill-Murray. They’ll play for third place for the second consecutive year.

The Pioneers are in search of a fourth state title in program history, and second since the two-class tournament started in 1994, the last title coming in 2008. They were last in the title game in 2012 and 2013, finishing as the runner up. They also hold the tournament record for most times as the state runner-up with eight.

Eden Prairie back to title game

Probably the most entertaining thing to watch in the first Class 2A semifinal game between 3-seed Eden Prairie and 2-seed Blake was the goaltending. It made picking a “save of the game” difficult for those that wanted to do so.

“Man, when Axel (Rosenlund) was called on, he was great in net,” said Eden Prairie coach Lee Smith.

With 33 shots on goal apiece, senior Rosenlund made a couple more saves – 32 – than his counterpart at the other end in order to secure a 4-1 Eden Prairie victory for a second straight state-title game appearance on Saturday night.

Rosenlund and Blake’s Aksel Reid, a junior who made 30 saves, helped keep the game scoreless through nearly two periods Friday.

It was hard to count just how many acrobatic and spectacular saves Reid made during the game, especially during a flurry in the second period. The puck was sitting in the crease at times, with Eagles players whacking at it and Reid jumped around the blue paint, said Eden Prairie senior forward Ben Steeves.

“We knew we were going to score eventually though, because that’s how we are,” Steeves said. “We’re persistent, and we battle for pucks.”

Steeves broke the scoreless tie with 40.9 seconds left in the second period. It was a play that wasn’t a dirty goal from crashing the net, or a deflection off someone’s back in front. No, Steeves simply sniped a shot high on the blocker side for the 1-0 lead.

Blake had a scoring chance of its own about 30 seconds before that, with a shot that rang loudly off the goal post.

Eden Prairie captain John Mittelstadt is mobbed by teammates Ben Steeves (6) and Kam Langefels (24) after his third period goal gave the Eagles a 3-1 lead late in their 4-1 Class 2A semifinal win over Blake on Friday night at Xcel Energy Center. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

In the third, teams traded early power plays and chances, but it remained a one-goal game until sophomore Jackson Blake gave the Eagles a cushion with 6:27 to play in regulation. He took the puck from the top of the offensive zone and walked right into the slot for the 2-0 lead.

“I didn’t even know it went in until five seconds after,” Blake said. “I saw the boys chasing after me.”

But the Bears made a game of it late as well, when senior defenseman Will Svenddal’s shot from the blue line on the power play was tipped by junior Thomas Nelson on the way in to make it 2-1 with a little more than three minutes to play.

The dagger came with 1 minute, 55 seconds left when senior John Mittelstadt fired an absolute blast of a slapshot into the net to regain the two-goal lead. An empty-netter with less than 10 seconds left capped the victory.

Bears coach Rob McClanahan said he was “not at all disappointed” with how his team played. He also commended both goaltenders and said Reid “played the game of his life.”

“It was a spectacular game,” McClanahan said. “A game like that, it’s too bad someone has to come out on the short end.”

The Eagles are in search of redemption after last year’s overtime loss to Edina in the state championship game. Now they’re back again, hoping to secure the program’s third title and first since 2011. The Eagles have come up empty (that is, without a state title) in five trips since.

Eden Prairie and Hill-Murray have not faced each other this season.

Rosenlund was in net for the Eagles last year at the state tournament. He and Smith noted that experience is a positive boost this year. He’s been nice and calm in the net, Smith said.

“We were so close last year,” Rosenlund said. “Everyone was just waiting for this opportunity since the start of the season. I’m just trying to hold the fort down and give our guys a chance.”

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After equipment gaffe, STA’s Ryan O’Neill “sticks it” to Duluth East

St. Paul — Ryan O’Neill stood ready to warm up with his St. Thomas Academy teammates ahead of their Class 2A  state quarterfinal meeting with Duluth East but, unlike his fellow Cadets, O’Neill was on his phone. He was speaking with his father checking the ETA for delivery of the precious cargo his dad was transporting: Ryan’s hockey sticks.

“Coach (Greg) Monohan had to go meet him at the door with the sticks right before warmups so that was a big relief,” O’Neill said.

O’Neill used at least one of them to score twice, including the game winner with 7:15 remaining in regulation to lift the No. 4 seed Cadets to a 3-1 win over the No. 5 Greyhounds to advance to a Friday semifinal meeting with top-seeded Edina. With the win, St. Thomas Academy completed a quarterfinal sweep for Class 2A ‘s top four seeds.

“The pressure and the whole anxiety about this tournament, obviously I could see how it could happen if you could be in their shoes  to see how big a deal this thing is,” St. Thomas Academy Co-Head Coach Greg Vannelli said. “But I forgive him now.”

O’Neill opened the scoring midway through the first period with a laser of a shot that beat Duluth East goaltender Brody Rabold over his right shoulder. After Charlie Erickson’s second period goal for the Greyhounds made it 1-1 entering the final frame, O’Neill notched his 21st goal of the year, one-timing linemate Nico Vega’s pass over Rabold’s left shoulder. 

“He’s the most underrated, under-the-radar forward in the state,” Vannelli said. “We knew what we had with Ryan and he’s been a key guy all year offensively. That line today was phenomenal. They had good puck possession; they have not been outplayed all year.”

McClain Beaudette’s empty-net goal with 1:28 remaining sealed St. Thomas Academy’s first state quarterfinal win in four trips to the state tournament since the Cadets bumped up to Class 2A six years ago.

“Our team just had a lot of confidence coming into this game,” O’Neill said. “We just kind of felt, especially as seniors that we were going to win this game.”

 Photo Gallery by Jonny Watkins for Minnesota Hockey Magazine. Follow Jonny on Twitter at @jwatkinsphotog.

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