Halfway through the opening quarterfinal game Friday played betwenn Mpls/St. Paul Magazine and Luther’s, Luther’s led 4-1. The prediction here that the Magaziners would be in the championship game Sunday looked dead and “crow” looked to be on the menu for Sunday’s dinner. Then the Mpls/St. Paul Magazine team went on a scoring spree, putting four goals on the board to take a 5-4 lead into the third period. Riese Zmolek/Rochester Marshall, Luke Notermann/Blaine, Chase Jungels/Benilde-St. Margaret’s, and Mark Senden/Wayzata all scored. The one goal held up, the Magaziners won 6-5.
Saturday’s semifinal game against the #2 seed Starkey was a “donnybrook”. Both teams went after each other with Magaziners winning 6-5 in overtime. Starkey’s Holy Family Catholic connection of John Peterson and Will Garin scored three of Starkey’s five goals; Blaine’s Luke Notermann figured in four of the six goals the Magaziners scored including an assist on the game winner scored by Seamus Donohue 16 seconds into the overtime period.
Mpls/St. Paul Magazine's goalie Jack Burkel drives the puck right to teammate Seamus Donohue ignoring the turmoil behind him as players crash into the net. Burkel had a great game in a game that featured outstanding goal tending on both sides.
TCF Bank's Ryan Edquist is about to make this glove save in the first period of Sunday's Championship game.
In the upper bracket of the eight team tourney Friday, the #1 seeded TCF Bank team rolled over the MEPDL Stars 12-3. The Stars put up a fight and kept the game close in the first and second period. They trailed 1-0 after the opening period and 4-0 after the second period. Stars goalie, River Alander/Denfeld, stopped 22 of 23 shots in the first period. The third period was all offense as both teams turned to their offense. But the Stars were outgunned 8-3. The Bankers spread their scoring, Casey Mittelstadt/Eden Prairie and Parker Mismash each scored two goals. Jack Kelly/Maple Grove scored the first Stars goal and assisted on the second.
The offensive show continued in Saturday’s semifinal against MAP. The Bankers put 63 shots on the net; MAP put 64 including 12 shots in the overtime period that ended scoreless. Both goalies had great games. Josh Kuehmichel/Hopkins and Ryan Edquist/Lakeville North stopped 92% of the shots on goal. In the end, the Bankers won the shootout to advance with a 6-5 win. Chase Ellingson posted three points in the game. Jacob Jaremko added a goal and an assist. Nick Poehling/Lakeville North (4 points/2 goals), Nick Swaney/Lakeville South (3 points/1 goal), and Peter Tufto/St. Thomas Academy (3 points/1 goal) led the Bankers in scoring.
That set up Sunday’s Championship game between TCF Bank and Mpls/St. Paul Magazine as predicted.
Period 1: Edquist and Burkel
TCF Bank tried to send a message to the Mpls/St. Paul Magazine team. In the first minute of play a Banker defenseman delivered a hard check to a Magaziner center along the boards. He was promptly sent to the penalty box. The Magaziners dominated on the power play, but couldn’t score. Not intimated, they kept up the pressure in the opening five minutes of the first period. Mpls/St. Paul would establish control in the Bankers zone and kept them pinned along the sideboards. TCF could not sustain pressure in the Magaziners’ zone and often were the Magaziners turned the puck in the neutral ice.
Five minutes into the period, the game changed when a Magaziner forward had a solo breakaway on Banker goalie Ryan Edquist/Lakeville North. Edquist had to make some difficult stops in the first minutes, but came up with the big stop on Magaziner breakaway. The stop changed the momentum of the game as gradually over the next few minutes, TCF started to establish control. The Bankers were forcing the play in Magaziners’ zone.
A TCF penalty with just over 8 minutes to play in the period set up the Magaziners’ first score. With less than 10 seconds left in the power play and the puck in the Bankers’ lower left corner, MSP’s Zach Mills exploded to the net beating the Banker defense and powering the puck past Edquist as he leaped sideways to avoid crashing the net. It was a nice move and put the Magaziners up 1-0. Chase Jungels/Benilde-St. Margaret’s got the assist.
Magaziner Zach Mills watches his puck settle into the net as he leaps sideways after attacking the net skating down the left end line. Mill's goal put MSP up 1-0 in the first period.
Giving up the first goal didn’t slow the Bankers’ attack. They quickly moved the puck back in the MSP zone and pressured the Magaziners’ goalie Jack Burkel/Rochester Lourdes forcing the defense to scramble chasing the puck. The Bankers’ forwards fed the puck to Jacob Olson on the right point and Olson put a quick shot on the net. The puck ended up in the back of the net; Parker Mismash/Edina got the goal, Olson got the assist. The game was tied 1-1.
In the first period, the Bankers outshot the Magaziners 12-8; but the period belonged to the goalies, Edquist and Burkel. Both had to make outstanding stops and hold their position under a fierce, sometimes physical, on-slaught.
Period 2: Mittlestadt and Mills
The Bankers kept pressure on the Magaziners at the opening of the second period, but the game slowly became transitional with both teams taking turns attacking the net forcing both goalies to make some big stops. At the halfway mark of the second period, TCF Bank switched goalies. Edquist was replaced by Dyllan Lubbesmeyer/Burnsville. With eight minutes left in the period, TCF launched a rush that ended up with Casey Mittelstadt/Eden Prairie circling the net left to right. As Mittelstadt hit the far right end line, he flipped a quick pass to Michael Graham/Eden Prairie coming down the slot. Graham shifted the puck from left to right and slid the puck past goalie Jack Burkel save attempt moving right to left. Mittelstadt got the assist and the Bankers led 2-1.
Casey Mittelstadt (far left) watches teammate Michael Graham taking his pass and beating goalie Jack Burkel by shooting the puck right. The goal put TCF Bank up 2-1 in the second period.
Riese Zmolek (far left) watches his puck hit the back of the net. Goalie Dyllan Lubbesmeyer was partially screened on the play.
The Magaziners outshot the Bankers 13-9; but the period belonged to Mittelstadt and Milles. Both made outstanding plays that led to scores. Mittelstadt’s pass to Graham looked simple, but was deadly quick and unexpected. Mills just explodes to the goal when he gets the opportunity.
Period 3: Zmolek and Gillette
The first half of the third period play was physical and fast at times and then slow. Each team drew a penalty in the first five minutes resulting in one of their defensemen sitting, but it was a penalty at the halfway mark that changed the momentum. A TCF defenseman drove a breaking MSP wing head first into the boards in the Bankers’ zone. He ended up with a two and ten and it was a generous call. It could have been worse. It took the Magaziners twenty seconds to score.
After gaining control of the puck in the Bankers’ zone, the Magaziners worked the puck to Riese Zmolek/Rochester Marshall. Zmolek moved into the high slot and beat goalie Lubbesmeyer high on the glove side left to put the Magaziners up 3-2. Mills and Mark Senden/Wayzata got the assists. Two minutes later, the Bankers tied the game again.
Lukas Gillett ties the game 3-3 on this goal halfway through the third period. Note that Gillett is blurred in the picture and the others are not. That indicates how fast Gillett was moving when he shot the one-timer off a pass. It was a great play.
The Bankers stormed back and brought pressure to MSP in the Magaziners’ zone. Banker defenseman Jack McNeely/Lakeville North fed a breaking Lucas Gillett/Rosemount coming down the right slot from behind the MSP net. Gillett,skating at high speed, one-timed the puck past Burkel into the back of the net. It was a great play and tied the game 3-3. McNeely got the assist. The two teams couldn’t score in the remaining minutes. Regulation time ended with the game tied 3-3.
The Magaziners outshot the Bankers 11-6 in the third period; but the play of Gillett breaking into the right slot and scoring was a great play. Zmolek stepping up to power the puck past a good goalie looked simple, but good players make good plays look simple.
Overtime (s) are really sudden death
The first 10 minute, 4-on-4 overtime was caustiously played. Each team managed one shot on goal. The second overtime ended 53 seconds into the period. Like Zmolek, Luke Notermann/Blaine made it look simple. He broke right in the high slot and powered the puck past the goalie for the winner. It happened so quickly that there was a brief delayed reaction before the Mpls/St. Paul Magazine bench exploded. The Magaziners pulled the upset and beat #1 seeded TCF Bank for the playoff title. Then the celebration began. Congratulations to the 2014 UMHSEL playoff champions Magaziners. Congratulations to the TCF Bank team for winning the regulation season title. It was a great game with an unexpected outcome. That is what hockey is about.
Luke Notermann (far left) watches the puck hitting the back of the net for the game winning goal on this hard shot 53 seconds into the second overtime. A great game to cap another great UMHSEL season.