The North stormed the Bankers’ net in theIn last Sunday’s game against the league’s top team.  The Bankers played without their #2 scorer, Nick Swaney/Lakeville South.  Kieffer Bellows/Edina was called from the Elite D league and joined other Elite D players Ryan Zuhlsdorf/Edina and Robbell/Jefferson on the Banker’s team.

The M&Mers took it to the Bankers in the opening minutes of Sunday’s game.  They dominated the Bankers until North pulled a tripping penalty at the 12 minute mark.  The M&Mers killed the penalty, but couldn’t regain the momentum.

The Bankers kept the pressure and in the last two minutes of the first scored twice to take a 2-0 lead.  The first goal was started by a TCF player’s pass from the blue into the lower left crease as Banker forward Patrick Lauderdale was cutting to beat the defense on the right.  Lauderdale picked up the pass off the cut and moved to his forehand shot as the defense man sent him sprawling.  He made a great play, staying with the moving puck and scoring bringing the shot back into the net from the left crease while in the air parallel to the ice.

Willie Brown and Tyler Funk (both Hill-Murray players) got assists on Lauderdale’s goal.

The second goal really hurt the North.  It was scored a fraction of a second before the clock ran out in the first period.  Michael Graham scored the goal on a hard shot from the right slot area beating North’s goalie Gabe Heifort low left just inside the post.  That put the Bankers up 2-0.

North trailed the Bankers by two goals after the first period despite outshooting Team Southeast 15-9.  They pummeled the Banker’s goalie at times in the first period and couldn’t beat the Banker’s goalie Andrew Lindgren/Eagan.  The play in the second period didn’t change that.

Team North pummeled Lindgren at times in the second period, often down low with multiple shots, but couldn’t beat Lindgren.  One reason the North forwards couldn’t score is that they would gain good position on the shots, but would slow a fraction of a second before shooting.  That delay gave the Bankers’ defense time to react.  It was a delay that the Banker forwards never used; puck on the stick down low, go for it.

Luc Snuggerud scored late in the second period when he one-timed a pass into the North’s net. Snuggerud was in the left face off area and took the pass from the right side.  His shot beat the goalie on the right side.  It was the only goal scored in the second period.  TCF led 3-0.  Lauderdale and Funk got the assists.

For the second period in a row, the M&Mer’s out shot the Bankers 2-1 (15-8) and lost ground in the scoring column.

TCF added two goals in the third period on a shorthanded goal by Steve Spinner/Eden Prairie (Lauderdale got the assist) and on a power play goal by Brock Boeser/Burnsville (Tyler Sheehy/Burnsville got the assist).

North’s Nate Pionk/Hermantown scored a late goal to end the scoring 5-1.  Jack Jensen/Eagan got the assist.

Note: There is a big game at Shattuck tonight between the Sabres and the MSPer’s.  That will be a separate YHH post later this week.

Team Wisconsin had a great weekend at New Hope.  After tying the league leading Bankers, the Badgers beat Great Plains 5-4 and Team Northwest 6-0.  As a result, they gained ground on the leaders.  But this weekend is tough one for Wisconsin.  They play #2 Team Northeast, #1 Team Southeast, and #4 Shattuck.

Shattuck’s prep team, as predicted by YHH, rolled through three Elite teams last week, beating Team Northwest 3-0 in a home game and beating Great Plains 3-1 and Team Southwest 8-3 at New Hope.

The Sabres should beat Team Northeast tonight at Shattuck in a battle between the #4 and #2 teams.  A Sabre win will close the gap between the top four teams.  If the Sabres win, they will play #3 Team Wisconsin and #1 Team Southeast in Onalaska, WI on the weekend.  A Shattuck sweep at the Omni tightens the race to the top considerably.

Southeast (19 points/13 games) remains on top of the league leading Northeast by 3 points (possibily 1 point if they beat the Sabres tonight).  Northeast (16 points/13 games) stays in second place despite the loss, but both Shattuck (11 points/7 games) and Team Wisconsin (14 points/12 games) are in striking distance and can overtake the MSPer’s this weekend.

Last weekend the teams separated into two groups in the league.  Team Southeast, Team Northeast, Wisconsin, and Shattuck moved into the top group; Team North, Team Southwest, Team Northwest, and Great Plains dropped into the lower group.

The lower group plays weekend games in Duluth and one of the teams could sweep and still fall short of getting into the top group by 1 or 2 points going into week 6.

This weekend, the top group teams play each other at the Onalaska Omni Center north of Lacrosse, WI.  Going into weekend play, the top four are separated by no more than 6 points.  The odds are the top group will tighten up after this weekend’s play.

Southeast has the most formable task in Week 5.  The Bankers travel to Lacrosse, WI (the Coulee Region for those familiar with NAHL hockey) to play Shattuck and Team Wisconsin.  The Bankers have gone with some Elite D players this past week, but clearly they miss their #2 scorer Nick Swaney/Lakeville South.

Team Wisconsin had a great weekend at New Hope.  The Badgers have a tougher road, they play three weekend games against #2 Team Northeast, #1 Team Southeast, and #4 Shattuck.

A Shattuck win over Team Northeast Wednesday closes the gap and sets up the Sabres for a weekend run.  They play #3 Team Wisconsin and #1 Team Southeast in Onalaska.

The top four teams should by four or less points.  If Team Wisconsin beat Team Southeast at the Omni, the four teams could be in a virtual tie.  When the dust settles Sunday night the top four teams in the Elite should line up with the TCF Bankers holding on to a slim 1-3 point lead over Team Northeast, Team Wisconsin and Shattuck with all three teams in a virtual tie for second place.  The race will tighten and Week 6 will determine if each of the four teams will break away or break.