Minnetonka’s 6-2 win over Hill-Murray on Thursday night was bookended by two notable stretches of play. 

The top-seeded Skippers scored four goals in the first period and killed off a five-minute Hill-Murray powerplay in the third to earn a spot in Friday’s Class AA semifinals. 

Sophomore forward Bobby Brink scored Minnetonka’s fifth and six goals of the evening, with his second score coming off a rare odd-man rush while the Skippers were shorthanded in the third period. 

Minnetonka’s Joe Molenaar opened the scoring less than three minutes into the game, tying former Skipper coach Brian Urick’s record of 30 goals in a season. Hill-Murray’s Mike Fleischhacker tied the score at 1-1 shortly after Molenaar’s goal, creating an even score that was quickly broken by Minnetonka’s James Miller. Luke Loheit and Matt Koethe also added goals in the first period for the Skippers (25-2-2). 

Joseph Quast pulled the Pioneers (13-12-4) within two at 4-2 early in the second period, but Brink’s first goal halted Hill-Murray’s bid for momentum and helped cement the win for the Skippers. 

Remington Keopple finished with 26 saves for the Pioneers in the loss, while Minnetonka’s Charlie Glockner totaled 22 stops.