(5) Delano vs. (4) Mahtomedi
Mahtomedi scored four times in the last 4:22 of regulation to earn a 5-2 win over Delano.
Scoring Summary
| Period | Team | Time | Goal | Assists | Goal Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delano | 6:57 | Jesse Peterson | Trevor Oja, Gunnar Paulson | Power Play |
| 1 | Delano | 5:00 | Gunnar Paulson | Jack Keranen, Trevor Oja | Even Strength |
| 2 | Mahtomedi | 13:34 | Billy Buttermore | Max Pieper, Ben Dardis | Power Play |
| 3 | Mahtomedi | 4:22 | Adam Johnson | Ethan Peterson, Nathan Gruhlke | Even Strength |
| 3 | Mahtomedi | 3:14 | J.D. Metz | Nikolai Dulak, Colin Hagstron | Even Strength |
| 3 | Mahtomedi | 1:50 | Nikolai Dulak | Ryan Berglund | Even Strength |
| 3 | Mahtomedi | 0:07 | Colin Hagstrom | Grant Dardis | Empty Net |
Delano saw its 2-0 lead collapse in the last few minutes of Wednesday night's game.
Zephyrs complete the comeback for 5-2 win
Sometimes it pays to be the last ones out of the building.
On a day that featured three games that went into running time thanks to leads of six or more goals, Mahtomedi and Delano battle for all 51 minutes in Wednesday’s finale, with the Zephyrs emerging victorious by a score of 5-2.
The Zephyrs (20-9) scored four times in the final 4:22 of regulation to complete the come-from-behind win, going down 2-0 to the Tigers after the first period before erupting in the game’s last minutes.
“We’ve been thinking that we’ve had to break out for about a month,” Mahtomedi coach Jeff Poeschl said, chuckling. “We’ve been throwing pucks at the (opposing) crease for a month, and with not as much to show for it as we’d like.”
Mahtomedi’s persistence eventually wore down Delano standout goaltender Cade Lommel, who finished with 29 saves on 33 shots.
“That’s been our game-plan all year is to get bodies and pucks to the net,” Mahtomedi forward J.D. Metz said. “We knew that after a while, they’d have to start going in.”
Metz scored the eventual game-winning goal for the Zephyrs, kicking the puck to himself out of the air and depositing a backhand shot. Goals from Nikolai Dulak and Colin Hagstrom sealed the victory for Mahtomedi.
Jesse Peterson and Gunnar Paulson scored just over two minutes apart in the first period to give the Tigers (22-7) their 2-0 lead, and the advantage held until Billy Buttermore notched a power-play goal in the second period to halve the lead.
Adam Johnson tied the game for Mahtomedi at the 12:38 mark of the third, kicking off the sprint to the finish by the Zephyrs.
“I didn’t feel like it got away from us until it was already away,” Delano coach Gerrit van Bergen said.
The narrow margin of victory gives the Zephyrs an added boost with a Friday semifinal date with No. 1 see Warroad looming, Poeschl said.
“When you win in the manner that we able to tonight, it gives us some momentum, and we’re going to need it,” Poeschl said.
“Warroad is a heck of a hockey team, and we’re going to need to be firing on all cylinders to compete with them.”
Adam Johnson celebrates after scoring the game-tying goal on Wednesday night.