Last night’s league game matched two of the top five teams in the state this year; NOW ranked #1 Edina and NOW ranked #3 Minneapolis.  More is at stake in this game than the D3/D6 league title.  Excluding the northern Minnesota teams (Districts 11,12,15, and 16), Minnesota peewee AA teams are seeded into three eight team regionals (South, East, and West).  The draw has already been determined as to which seed goes to what regional (#1 seed will play in the South Regional at the MAC in St. Cloud; the #2 seed will play in the East Regional at Lakeville; the #3 seed will play in the West Regional at Anoka).  This corner of YHH sees five tough teams at this point.  These five teams are capable of beating each other in any one game.  They will be seeded #1 to #5.  The #4 seed will play in the West Regional and the #5 seed will play in the East Regional.  The top seed after that, the #6 seed, will play in the South Regional.  Seeded #1 in the state has significance this year. 

Both Edina and Minneapolis opened the game last night playing hard.  But then the stakes were high.  Unless the two teams meet in the White Bear Lake tourney next weekend, the winner of Thursday game would have the stronger claim to the #1 seed.  The two teams tied in an earlier season game 3-3.  

Period 1: An early score

Both teams opened playing hard and the refs called a good game.  The result was literally non-stop action.  Both teams moved the puck well, the pace was high, and the action great.  It took four minutes before one of the few penalties called was called.  Minneapolis drew a tripping penalty and killed the penalty; but Edina kept the pressure on the Storm net after the penalty ended.  and scored as the Storm transitioned to 5-on-5 play.  Edina defenseman Boltman turned a clearing pass at the Storm's blue line putting a hard shot on the net with the puck rebounding left to Steve Worst.  Worst shot the rebound into the back of the net to put the Hornets up 1-0.

The two teams played even the rest of the first period.  Edina’s defense men took away the middle of the ice on the Storm rushes across the Hornets’ blue line and keep the shots on goal to a minimum.  The Hornet’s forwards were often pinched and turned before they could establish control in the Storm defense and work the puck low for an attack.  The first period ended with the Hornets up 1-0.  The shots on goal were even, 4-4.

Period 2: The Hornets Swarm

At the start of the second period, Edina moved to an up tempo game.  It worked.  They had the pressure for most of the second period forcing the Storm’s goalie Kiron Morioka to make some tough stops.  More than once, a puck shot at the Storm goal just missed; or was deflected wide of the net; or was stopped by Morioka making a great save.  As the period wore on, the Storm started to control the game.  The Storm were getting the puck low in the Edina zone and turning the puck at the Hornet’s blue line on counter attacks that stretched the Edina defense.  On two separate plays, Edina’s goalie Ramsey Bell had to make stops on point blank shots from the top of the crease.  The second period ended with no goals scored.  Edina still led 1-0 and the Hornets out shot Mpls 13-3 in the period.  

Period 3: The Storm Rage

In the opening minutes of the third period, Minneapolis scored to tie the game 1-1.  That goal changed the momentum.  The tying goal play started with a rush by the Storm into the Edina zone along the right boards with the Storm’s Lachen Reid threading the needle with a pass through two Hornet defenders to Axel Toft breaking in the right slot area.  Toft managed to one-time the shot past Bell to tie the game 1-1.

After the tying goal was scored, for the first time in the game, the lines were not matched.  Edina had the edge in play initially.  The Hornets forced the action in the Storm’s zone until the Hornets drew a penalty with nine minutes left in the period.  The Hornets killed the penalty after a furious power play attack by the Storm in the first minute of the penalty.  Both teams tired after that penalty kill.  Edina still kept the pressure on, controlling the puck in the Storm’s zone.  The Hornets missed a game changing shot when a forward broke clear in the top crease but shot the puck wide high left of the net.

With just under five minutes left in the third period, the Storm cleared their zone along the right boards.  The puck slowed in neutral ice and a Storm forward beat an Edina defender to the puck skating into the defender’s stick along the board and went sprawling on the ice.  The Hornets were called for tripping.  A minute into the Minneapolis power play, the Storm forced a face off in the Hornets’ zone left.  Minneapolis’ Mackie Zabinski drove the faceoff toward the end boards and beat the Edina defense to the puck.  Without hesitating, he turned and shot the puck hard at the Hornet’s goalie.  The puck caught Bell with his legs open just enough to let Zabinski’s shot through the leg pads and into the goal.  It was the game winner.  Minneapolis led 2-1.

With just under four minutes left in the third period and leading, Minneapolis became defensive.  They focused on turning the Edina attack in the neutral zone by keeping the Minneapolis forwards at the Edina blue line.  The Hornets were stymied trying to gain control in the Storm’s zone.  With two minutes to go, when the Hornets managed to get the puck into the Storm’s zone, the Storm defense drove the puck the length of the ice for an icing.  When Edina started to gain control a minute later, the Storm drove the puck the length of rink for a second icing penalty.  With 90 seconds left on the clock, Edina had the faceoff in the Storm’s zone left.  They pulled their goalie.  On the faceoff, the Storm’s defenseman Will Svenddal got the puck, stepped up into the faceoff circle and backhanded the puck 150 feet into the Edina net.  The insurance goal put the Storm up 3-1 and ended the scoring.  In the battle of two powerhouse hockey teams, the Storm won.

What is Next?

Minneapolis plays third place Chaska/Chanhassen this Friday at Minneapolis’ Northeast Arena.  If the Storm win that game, they will likely win this year’s District 3/District 6 Peewee AA title. The Storm will be favored to win their last two games (Jefferson and Eden Prairie) and finish the season with 53 points.  Edina has five games left to play.  A Hornet sweep of all five games would put Edina also at 53 points, but Mpls would own the head to head tie breaker (they tied Edina 3-3 in an earlier league game).  Chaska/Chanhassen is not out of the running.  If the Hawks beats the Storm and sweep their remaining six league games, the Storm Hawks will end D6 play with 54 points and the league championship.

Edina and Minneapolis are entered in White Bear Lake’s PWAA tourney that will be played next weekend.  The two teams are in different pools and, barring an upset, could meet in the championship game.