In the Hornets' fourth game of the 2014-2015 season, Edina beat Chanhassen/Chaska 2-1 in a good peewee AA hockey game played Thursday night at Blake Arena in Hopkins.  It was the Hornet’s second win over the Hawks this season (they beat CC in the season opener for both teams 3-1 two weeks ago).  The two teams will meet again this season.  Both play in the D6/D3 Peewee AA league this season.  Both teams are in the Big Pumpkin Tournament in Moorhead MN that will be played Oct 31-Nov 1.  Depending on how the two teams do in tourneys this year, the two D6 powers could play each other a dozen times.  The win gives Edina a 4-0 record in the early season.

Period 1 is all Chaska

For the first five minutes of the opening period, the Hawks bottled up Edina in the Hornets zone.  It didn’t matter what line was on the ice for the Hawks.  Edina was forced to play a dump and change style, getting the puck to the red line, firing it deep into the Hawks’ zone, and head for the bench.  The Hawks would re-group, get the puck low into the Edina zone, and pressure the Hornets’ net.  The Hawks’ offensive problem was they could get a shot on the net, but not a good shot.  Late in the first period, the Hawks drew a penalty.  During the two minute penalty kill, Edina never got a shot on the net.  The first period ended in a 0-0 tie.  Chaska had the advantage in shots on goal 5-0.

Bazinga!

The second period was a repeat of the first, except Chaska managed a score halfway through the period and Edina started to play hockey halfway through the second period.  It took an Edina power play to get shots on the net and get the Hornets buzzing.  The Chaska goal came three minutes into the second period.  Two Chaska forwards beat the Hornet defense at the Edina blue line and turned the play into a 2-on-0 rush.  Edina’s goalie tried to play both forwards on the rush.  Charlie Johnson, the puck carrier, stayed left and the other forward came down the right slot.  Edina's goalie, Ramsey Bell, attempt to position himself to cover both Hawks opened his pads.  Johnson's fake set up his shot beating Bell through the 5-hole.  Bazinga!

The goal poked the Hornets’ nest.  Edina started to skate, but still could not get shots on goal.  Then Chaska helped the Hornets.  At this point, halfway through the game, the Hawks had outshot Edina 11-1.  Chaska drew a slashing penalty with 9 plus minutes left in the period.  This time, the Hornets’ got their power play to work.  They set up in the Hawks’ zone and pounded the net.  The Hawks’ goalie Hansen had to make three difficult stops to keep the 1-0 lead.  For the remainder of the second period, Chaska could get pressure on Edina, but the Hornets were getting stronger.  Some Hawk pressure resulted as the second period ended resulted in an Edina penalty.  The Hornets picking up a slashing penalty with 6 seconds left in the period.  At the end of the second period, Chaska led Edina 1-0, outshot the Hornets 14-7, and would have nearly a 2 minute power play to open the third period.  

Period 3 is a slip and a skip

The third period opened with Hawks on the power play and it was on that power play Chaska made the mistake.  The mistake changed the tempo of the game and ultimately cost the Hawks the victory.  It started with the Hawks set up in the power play in the Hornet’s zone.  They controlled the puck on the perimeter, but failed to attack the Hornets’ net.  Chaska moving the puck to the outside ate up the power play time.  With the penalty ending, the Edina player came out of the penalty box and went to the Edina bench.  The Hornet’s Will Sodering hit the ice, taking the player’s place, but broke to neutral ice slipping behind the Hawks’ defense.  He took a pass from Theo Crosby deep in the Hornet’s zone at the Hawks’ blue line and had a clean breakaway to the Chaska net.  Sodering beat the Hawks’ goalie, Zach Hansen, going left at the top of the crease to tie the game 1-1.  Crosby got the assist.

Three minutes into the final period and the Hawks slowed.  The game was tied.  They had lost their aggressiveness and started to back pedal in their zone.  The Hawks’ goalie Hansen played well, keeping the Hornets’ off the scoreboard, but the Hornet’s attack was relentless often resulting in clean close-in shots on Hansen.  Still, it took a weird shot to score the game winner.  The Hornet’s Lucas Flemming picked up a loose puck along the left boards and took a quick shot.  The puck took a crazy bounce ten feet from the Hawk’s net beating Hansen through the 5-hole.  It was the game winner and it was an unassisted goal.  Edina won 2-1, outshooting Chaska 10-1 in the final period.

What is next?

This was the first of a number of meetings between the two District 6 teams.  The next meeting could be at the Big Pumpkin Tourney in Moorhead at the end of October.  Both Edina and Chanhassen/Chaska peewee AA teams are entered in the same three tournaments this season; Eden Prairie’s Thanksgiving Weekend Tournament; Edina’s New Year’s Tourney, and Roseau’s Dick Johnson Tourney played at the end of January, 2015.  Add to that, two D6/D3 peewee AA regular season meetings and potential games in regionals/state and these teams will play each other often.  For the fans, the multiple meetings over the season provides a good measure to show how each team improves.