As expected both teams came out flying. White got on the board first when Aaron Illies knocked in a Anthony McHenry rebound to make it 1-0. Green would answer White scoring two goals in the next three minutes. Anderson Blum and Jackson Karpinsky would tally two goals by players with last names for first names. After 1, Green lead 2-1.

Early in the second, with both teams turning up the heat, the sensors of the New Prague fire alarms couldn't take it any longer and the alarms went crazy. Eventually stopping the play for at least ten minutes. When play resumed White got back on the board when Jack Peschel scored on a loose puck in front and the score was tied at 2. A few minutes later, Jake Hankinson the son of former Gopher Ben, showed off his great hands by getting past a White defender and beat White Goalie Thomas Quello to give the Green a 3-2 lead. With five minutes to go in the second, the Green went on the power play. Karpinsky got a puck at the blue line and he fired a high lofting nine iron toward Quello. The shot surprised him, glanced off his equipment into the net and gave the Greens a 4-2 lead. White would be penalized again, this time for Slashing and Green looked to put the Whites away. White Forward Brady Giertsen chipped a puck off the side board and out raced a Green D Man to the puck and beat Green Goalie Louie Deckas with a shot to cut the Green lead to 4-3 at the end of two.

After an ice scrape and quick check on the fire alarm system, the clash of the titans was underway. Both teams had chances to add intrigue to the game with the all important next goal. Deckas was the hero for Green making big saves, 9 in the third period and 27 for the game. Green would get that next goal early in the third on a puck that caromed off the back wall onto the stick of Jake Hankinson. The youngest of three Hankinson boys would get the puck and stuff it in short side to beat Quello and give the Green the win 5-3.

Up Next: With the win, Green advances to Regions and to the finals on Saturday against the Winner of the White/Minnetonka game Friday night. Tonka beat Jefferson Wednesday in an epic see saw game with seven lead changes. Tied at 4 with under a minute to go in regulation and Jefferson on the power play. Tonka scored short handed with 7.7 seconds left to steal the win over the Jags to advance to a Region play in game against White! If White were to beat Tonka, the meeting Saturday with Green may be one of several more the two will play in Districts (White would need two wins this weekend), Regions, and potentially State.

Shout out to 17 year old Caleb Miller who help contribute to the story.