Hill-Murray opened their season with three straight wins, beating Burnsville 3-2, Benilde-St. Margaret’s 5-3 and Hibbing/Chisholm 4-1.  Mahtomedi had won their first five games scoring impressive wins over Cretin-Derham Hall 7-5, St. Cloud Cathederal 7-1, St. Paul Academy 3-1, Breck 3-1, and North St. Paul 8-0.  Both teams play in the new Metro East Conference but the two teams had played each other for years in the defunct Classic Suburban Conference.  Saturday’s game was the first of two Metro East games that the teams will play this season.  The Zephyrs have not beaten the Hill in conference play since February 9, 2009 when they beat the Hill 5-2.  Playing Class A and always losing to Hill in conference play can be frustrating.

Hill-Murray missed the trip to the Xcel last March, losing 2-1 to Stillwater in the Section 4AA championship game.  That broke a streak of five straight state appearances for the Pioneers.  Gone from last year’s team are Joey Anderson (the sophomore is playing for USA Hockey) Mitch Slattery (graduated playing for the Fargo Force in the USHL this season and committed to St. Cloud State in 2015-2016), and Tyler Funk (graduated and playing for the Springfield Jr. Blues in the NAHL).  In their place is the Hill's top line this season of sophomore Marko Reifenberger, senior Zach Mills and freshman Dylan Mills.  The Hill returns a solid defensive corps led by seniors Davis Zarembinski and Jacob Olson.  Senior Sean Wendlandt was in the nets last night for the Pioneers.

The Zephyrs have a team dominated by 13 juniors this season.  Seven seniors complete the roster.  Their top line is centered by Kellen Campbell with Jack Gunderson and Sam Krawczyk at wings.  All three players are seniors this year.  Their defense is led by senior Justin Keeney and junior Alex Jensen.  They have a good goalie in junior Will Swanson.  Last season, Mahtomedi lost in the Section 4A semifinals to Totino-Grace 5-4.  This year Totino-Grace is off to a slow start (1-5) playing a different schedule from last season when they won the North Suburban Conference.  The North Suburban is gone this year and Grace is playing in the Northwest Suburban Conference playing 17 conference games (instead of 8 conference games last season).  How strong Totino-Grace will be in Section 4A this year may not be known until Section 4A tourney time, but Zephyrs may not care this year.  They were out to beat the Hill Saturday night.

Period 1: Penalties, penalties, penalties….

The game started out with Hill-Murray moving the puck into the Mahtomedi zone but not controlling the puck.  It was frustrating.  The Zephyr defense would clear the puck to the side boards, move the puck to either sideboard, and pass or bounce the puck out to a Mahtomedi forward in the neutral ice.  But there the Zephyr breakout attempts failed.  The Zephyr breakout passes were always slightly off either trailing the forward or leading him too far.  Hill’s defense would turn the puck and the sequence would start over again usually with the puck being driven to behind the Zephyr net.

That style of play became the hallmark of the game.  The Zephyr defense could contain and force Hill-Murray forwards wide, turn the puck, but their forwards could not beat the Hill’s fore check or beat the Hill’s defense along the boards in the neutral zone.  The play created a stalemate.  It was three minutes before a shot was put on either net.  Hill got the first shot on net and then took two quick shots 10 seconds later.  The Zephyrs’ goalie Swanson looked sharp and made the stops easily and every good Mahtomedi play was followed by a roar of approval from the Zephyr fans.  The play and the Zephyr fans were beginning to “get” to the Hill players and it was still early in the game.

With five minutes gone in the period, the Pioneers began to gain puck control in the Mahtomedi zone and methodically tried to find an opening that would beat Swanson.  The game became more physical with both teams delivering some big hits.  Then the penalties starting being called.  Over the next five minutes of play, three minor penalties and two major penalties (one on each team) were called.  It created weird 4-on-4 and 4-on-3 situations.  Mahtomedi drew the first major.  Neither team could score, but when Hill-Murray drew a 5-minute major with just over a minute left in the first period, things changed.  Another Pioneer was already in the penalty box and Mahtomedi still had over two minutes to serve on their major penalty, but the Zephyr fans sensed an opening at the start of the second period and were roaring on every Mahtomedi play as the opening period ended.  The Hill out shot the Zephyrs 15-6 in the period, but the score stood 0-0.

Period 2: Hill players make a mistake

It took 9 seconds for Mahtomedi to score in the second period.  The Zephyrs took the center ice face off, drove the puck into the Pioneer zone where Jack Becker passed to Joe Forciea on the right side low for the goal.  Mahtomedi led 1-0.  Becker got the assist.  And the Mahtomedi fans went wild.

Hill-Murray struck back two minutes later ending some of their frustration.  The teams were playing 4-on-4 hockey with each having a player still serving their major penalty.  Hill-Murray’s Jake Wittl came up with the puck breaking across the Zephry’s blue line beating Swanson to tie the game 1-1.  Then Hill-Murray chose to celebrate their score in front of the Zephyrs’ fans and it cost the Hill a two minute minor and it got the Zephyr fans some extra attention from officials.

The Hill-Murray unsportsmanlike conduct penalty put the Pioneers on a 4-on-3 penalty kill.  Both teams slowed, became more tentative in their play.  Both major penalties ended and Hill-Murray killed their minor penalty.  Five minutes into the second period, the game resumed to 5-on-5 play.  It did not last long.  With 8 minutes remaining in the period, the Pioneers drew a slashing penalty; thirty seconds later, coincidental minors were called.  For the next two minutes the Pioneers stopped the Zephyr power play.  A minute later the Pioneers went on the power play when Mahtomedi drew an interference penalty.  The Zephyrs killed the power play.  In the last three minutes of the second period, playing evenly, Hill-Murray began to control play.  The Hill’s fore check became more aggressive causing Mahtomedi to lose the puck on the breakout.  The aggressive play lead to more physical play as the Pioneers began to control the game.  They outshot Mahtomedi 12-6 in the second period.

Period 3: 100 seconds and four goals

It was a warm night at Aldrich for December.  Most of the snow had melted over the past two days.  After cleaning the ice and after having a good size crowd in the arena for over three hours, the ice was not freezing in spots.  Both teams returned to start the third period 5-on-5.  The Mahtomedi crowd had gone quiet rooting for a Mahtomedi win.  Both teams found the rhythm they had earlier in the game.  But before Hill-Murray could regain the dominance they had at the end of the second period, they drew another penalty.  After the Pioneers killed the penalty, the Hill offense began to move the puck easily into the Zephyrs' zone.  Playing even, Mahtomedi’s defensemen were back to slowing the Pioneer attack and the Pioneer defense was back to bottling up the Mahtomedi breakout.  As the clock hit the seven minute mark, the Mahtomedi crowd was starting to believe that the Zephyrs could get the tie breaking goal.

At that point, Hill-Murray's offense exploded.  With seven minutes left in the game, the Hill’s Reifenberger beat the Mahtomedi defense along the right boards, broke into the top of the right face off circle and took a hard shot at the Zephyr goal.  But Reifenberger, instead of driving the puck, had his stick catch the edge of the puck.  Instead of a high hard shot, the puck slid on the ice slower than expected.  The unintended change of pace surprised Zephyr goalie Swanson and before he could recover the puck slid through the crease on the way to the net as Swanson turned and dived trying to bat the puck away.  The Hill finally got the lead, 2-1.  Zach Mills got the assist.

That goal opened the door for the Pioneers.  Reifenberger took the ensuing faceof and beat Swanson again 10 seconds later.  The Hill led 3-1.  Reifenberger’s second goal was unassisted.  Fifty seconds later, the Hill’s Luke Ranallo scored breaking down the right side of Zephyr defense and beating Swanson through the 5-hole to put the Hill up 4-1.  Ninth grade defenseman, Mikey Anderson got the assist.

A minute later, Zach Mills scored to end the scoring 5-1.  In 100 seconds of play, the Pioneers exploded to score four goals.  The game was over.  Neither team could score in the last remaining minutes.  The Hill outshot Mahtomedi 12-8 in the third period.  The disappointed Mahtomedi fans started to head for the parking lot.  The Hill had handed the Zephyrs their first defeat of the season, but most of the Zephyr fans were already thinking of the return match played Saturday, January 24th in the Zephyr’s home confines of the St. Croix Recreation Center.  That arena, much smaller than Aldrich, will be filled with Mahtomedi fans with seating much closer to the ice.  The Hill players will not have to skate to one place to celebrate a goal in front of the Zephyr fans, any place along the boards will do.

What is next?

Things do not get easier for either team.  The Zephyrs travel to Chisago Lakes to play the Wildcats, last season’s Section 5A State Tourney entrant.  Chisago Lakes is off to a slow start this season.  Mahtomedi then plays Roseville at home before opening play in the Grand Rapids Iron Range Invite tourney December 29th.  The Zephyrs will play host Grand Rapids and will find themselves in front a loud home crowd in the tourney’s opening game.  Hill-Murray at Blaine this Tuesday and then hosts South St. Paul, Maple Grove, and Lakeville North.  The Hill will be favored to beat Blaine, South St. Paul, and Maple Grove and top ranked Lakeville North should be unbeaten when the two teams met December 23rd at Aldrich.  That will be one of the best games of the season as the Hill try to avenge last season’s 3-0 loss to the Panthers.