Section 3AA Championship

Inver Grove Heights’ VMI Ice Rink was packed Wednesday night for the Section 3AA championship game in girls high school hockey.  The #1 seeded Eagan Wildcats (18-9-1) played the #3 seeded Eastview Lightning.  Eagan was favored to win having beaten East Ridge 6-1 in the 3AA semifinals.  Eastview (14-12-2) struggled as regular season ended winning only two of their last nine games.   They won their semifinal game beating #2 Hastings 7-1, but most people discounted that win.   Hastings had also struggled at the end of the season.  At VMI, the two District 196 high schools put on a tough battle that drew the fans into the game and had them roaring.  Even the two high school bands competed playing off each other in a battle of sound.  VMI was a raucous place loud and noisy.  It was a great hockey game filled with school spirit.  The Lightning won 6-4, but both teams were out to win.

Eastview took an early lead 2-0 and held on to the lead until the last two minutes of the second period.  The Lightning looked tired at the end of the second period, Eagan had taken control of the game with the third period starting.  The Wildcats opened the third period intent on getting the winning goal, but drew a penalty one minute into the period to set up a power play goal by Sally Nelson that caught everybody by surprise and tied the game.  The goal ignited the Lightning offense and five minutes later Eastview’s Natalie Snodgrass scored the game winner.

The first period opened with Eastview pressuring the Wildcats defense.  The pressure led to two Lightning goals.  Midway through the period, the Lightning’s Kealie Espinda Banick scored to put Eastview up 1-0.  Two minutes later Mary Keating picked up a rebound in the right slot and buried the puck.  The Lightning led 2-0, but with the clock winding down, Eagan’s Olivia Asta scored to cut the Lightning lead to 2-1 going into the second period.  Eastview outshot the Wildcats 11-5 in the period.  Both teams played evenly in the opening minutes of the second period until an Eastview forward made a nice pass to Erika Geary breaking in the slot.  Geary deked the goalie right and came back with a shot left to put the Lightning up 3-1.  The Eastview fans went wild.  Two minutes later, things changed.

Eagan came back with pressure on the Eastview net attacking the puck low in the crease and more than once had the puck bouncing around loose along the goal line.  Their play finally resulted in Megan Plaschko scoring to cut the Lightning’s lead to 3-2.  Now the Wildcats’ fans were roaring the Eagan band was playing the school rouser.  Eastview remained stubborn and held the Wildcats off keeping the puck moving in neutral ice, but gradually, Eagan’s offense was taking more and more time controlling the puck in the Lightning zone.  A Eastview penalty with three minutes left set up the tying goal.  A minute into the power play, Taylor Anderson scored off a 2-on-1 rush beating Eastview’s goalie from the right slot.  The game was tied 3-3 and a tired Eastview team was starting to hang on.  With 40 seconds left in the second period, the Lightning drew another penalty, setting up another Wildcat score.  Taylor Ramthun got the power play goal with 20 seconds to go.  The second period ended with Eagan leading 4-3.  Shots on goal were even for the period.  Each team had nine shots, but most of the Eagan shots came in the last minutes of the second period against a tiring Eastview team.

The third period opened with the Wildcats determined to take the lead.  Their pressure led to a penalty and Eastview setting up in the Wildcats zone.  The puck ended up on sophomore Sally Nelson’s stick along the left end.  Nelson turned and quickly fired a shot at the Eagan net.  The shot just caught the Eagan defense off-guard sliding past a defender and hitting the inside of the goalie’s skate and going into the net.  The Lightning had tied the game 4-4 and the Eastview fans were roaring and the Eastview band was playing their rouser.  Five minutes later, Natalie Snodgrass broke to the right and managed to get off a shot from the lower part of the faceoff circle.   Her shot beat the goalie putting Eastview up 5-4.  It was the game winner.  Eagan came back doubling their efforts to score and tie the game.  Eastview’s forwards played back, defending the neutral area around their blue line frustrating the Wildcats forwards.  When Eagan would lose the puck in neutral ice, the Lightning would attack with one or two forwards.  That strategy led to Eastview’s insurance goal.  Lightning forward, Kati Quaintance, broke through the Wildcats’ attack in the neutral and put the puck on the Eagan net.  Quaintance’s shot beat the goalie through her pads to end the scoring.  Eastview won 6-4  

Section 6AA Semifinals

Minnetonka, seeded #1 in Section 6AA, beat Hopkins 7-3 in a semifinal game played Wednesday at Parade Ice Gardens.  The Skipper opened playing very aggressive against the Royals and scored in the first 30 seconds of the game.  Tonka’s Emma Bigham swept behind the Hopkins net and fired a shot as she cleared the left end line.  Hopkins goalie senior Molly Dionne made the stop with the puck rebounding off her stick back to Bigham in the left slot.  Bigham one-timed the rebound back into the goal to put Minnetonka up 1-0.  Halfway through the opening period, Minnetonka scored again.  This time the Skippers got the puck to their scoring leader, senior Presley Norby in the high slot.  Norby found a hole in the Hopkins defense and had time to snipe a shot past Dionne into the upper left corner to put Minnetonka up 2-0.  Norby would score two more goals in the game for the hat trick.  With just under three minutes left in the opening period, Tonka senior Rylie McDonell beat two Royal defenders at the Hopkins blue line and soloed in on the Hopkins goal beating Dionne on the blocker side to give the Skippers a 3-0 lead.  Minnetonka outshot Hopkins 12-6 in the first period.  Norby and Kippin Keller scored in the second period to build a five goal Skipper lead going into the third period.  Norby has committed to play hockey for Wisconsin next season, Keller has committed to play for Minnesota.  The two line mates will be foes next year.

Hopkins’ outstanding defenseman, Grace Bizal, scored twice in the third period trying to lead a comeback.  Minnetonka won 7-3.  Hopkins' Bizal has committed to play for Boston College next season.

Wayzata (15-9-2) had a tough January winning only two of their last seven games.  One of those losses was to YHH ranked #4 in the state, Maple Grove (24-2-1).  Wednesday night the Trojans showed up and demolished the Crimson 5-1.  In a sense, a #3 seed beating a #2 seed is not an upset, but this game was a good accomplishment for Wayzata and moves them to contention in their championship game with Minnetonka Friday at Parade.  Wayzata beat Maple Grove “out of the gate” in the first period of Wednesday’s game.  Trojan sophomore and leading scorer Natalie Heising scored twice late in the first period to put Wayzata up 2-0.  Wayzata outshot the Crimson 10-3 in the period.  Sophomore Lindsay Czech scored twice in the second period as Wayzata built a 4-0 lead.  Maple Grove’s leading scorer, sophomore Taylor Wente, scored late in the period to cut the Trojan lead to 4-1 going into the third period.  Wayzata junior Maddie Wolsmann got the Trojans fifth goal late in the third period.  The Crimson outshot Wayzata in the second half of the game 18-13 but could not overcome the Trojans early lead.       

Section 2AA Semifinals (Tuesday)

Eden Prairie used their speed and quickness in their 2AA semifinal game.  The Eagles scored three times in the opening period to take a 3-0 lead and three more goals in the second to take a 6-1 lead into the third period and went on to beat Holy Family Catholic/Waconia 7-1.  Eden Prairie outshot Holy Family 24-3 in the first period.  Ninth grader Crystalyn Hengler, senior Angie Heppelmann, and senior Allison Koloski scored first period goals; seniors Charly Dahlquist scored twice and Lauren Boyle scored once in the second period.  Junior Rachel Werdin score the Eagles lone third period goal.  Wildfire senior Abby Hanscom scored the lone Holy Family/Waconia goal.

In the second 2AA semifinal Tuesday, Edina edged Chaska/Chanhassen 3-2.  The Storm Hawks could not stop Taylor Williamson.  Williamson scored all three goals in leading Edina to the win.  In 23 games, Williamson has now scored 34 goals (54 points).  Chaska junior Mollie Wise and sophomore Emma Hinze scored for the Storm Hawks.  The Hornets will play Eden Prairie for the championship Friday night at Richfield.