Period One-Mesmerized

Both teams opened in high gear, both started the game skating hard.  Prior Lake got the initial pressure on the Storm net, but as the period progressed, the Storm began to control the puck and move it into the Lakers’ zone.  A Storm penalty halfway through the period resulted in good Prior Lake power play that forced Storm goalie Kiron Morioka to make some hard shots.  But the larger Minneapolis team was slowly starting to dominate play.  The Laker defense started to go flat, leaving gaps between the Laker defenders and the Storm puck carriers.  With just under 5 minutes left in the opening period, the Storm’s Gavin Best came up with puck in the left slot and fired a hard shot on the Lakers’ goalie Carsen Stokes.  Stokes made the stop but the puck rebounded into the right slot to Best again.  Best fired a second shot on Stokes beating him on the high right side for the goal.  The Storm led 1-0.

With a minute left to play in the first, the Prior Lake defense became mesmerized on a simple three way passing play around the Laker’s net.  It was almost a “slo-motion” play of tic-tac-toe that resulted in the Storm forward stuffing the puck past Stokes for the Storm’s second score.  Minneapolis led 2-0 and a Laker penalty thirty seconds later meant the Storm would have the power play to open the second period.   

Period Two-Emmerich makes the big play

The second period started with Minneapolis on the power play, but thirty seconds later, it was a 4-on-4 skating situation when the Storm drew a trip.  With each team skating a man down, it opened the ice and for the next minute it was 11 versus 11 as Minneapolis’ Will Mortenson (#11) and Prior Lake’s Owen Neuharth (#11) put on a show trying to carry the puck end to end and score.  They didn’t, still each got their shot off.  A minute later, the 4-on-4 ended.  Prior Lake went on the power play and they scored.  The Lakers’ goal was scored just as the power play was ending.  It was scored on a hard shot from the center blue area with the puck tipped in the slot on its way to the net.  The goal cut the Storm led to 2-1 and ten seconds later, the Lakers drew a penalty.  But the first Prior Lake goal was a big momentum shifter.  Until they scored, the Laker’s were defensive oriented in their play; after the score they became aggressive offensively.

But first the Lakers had to kill a penalty.  The Laker penalty kill went to work, clearing the puck, and keeping the Storm from setting up.  The Storm power play went nowhere.  The Storm’s passing lacked the crispness they had earlier in the game and the Prior Lake offense was picking the passes off and trying to beat the Storm defense.  With just under nine minutes left in the period, Laker defenseman Sam Emmerich picked off a Storm pass in neutral ice, beat the Storm defense, and cleared the defense crossing the Minneapolis blue line.  Cutting into the left faceoff circle, Emmerich fired a hard shot beating Storm goalie Morioka high right.  The goal tied the game and shocked the Storm.  The Lakers continued to press after the score and two minutes later, when the Storm drew another penalty, went on the power play.

At this point in the game, the Lakers gambled on scoring the power play goal.  Whether it was a planned play or just happened, the Lakers put one player behind the net, brought a defenseman forward to form three across from faceoff dot to faceoff dot, and put one defender on the center blue line to act as playmaker.  It was risky if the speedy Storm forwards could make the breakout pass, they would have an easy solo or 2-on-1 shot at the Lakers’ goalie Stokes.  But the play worked in that it got the Storm defense scrambling and the Lakers pinned the Storm for most of the penalty.  But despite some tough shots, the Laker forwards could not beat Morioka in the nets.  The Storm killed the penalty and both teams slowed in the final minutes of the second period.  The second period ended in a 2-2 tie.

Period Three-Neuharth’s dance

The third period opened with Prior Lake pressuring the Storm net.  The Storm defense weathered the initial pressure and game shifted into a wide open, end to end, affair.  Neuharth and Mortenson were still driving to score on their shifts, but other players like Minneapolis defensemen Will Svenddal and Erik Clow and Prior Lakes’ Hunter Lincoln and Nick Speltz made some great plays.  Out of nowhere Clow had a great shift showing his potential and almost drove the puck home.  But in the end, it was Neuharth’s dance that stole the show.  With five minutes left in the period, Neuharth carried the puck into the Storm zone skating down the left slot area.  With the defense pressuring him on the inside at the left crease, the diminutive Neuharth did a lateral two-step creating space between him and the net and fired a hard shot beating the Storm goalie for the game winner.  The Prior Lake fans erupted in a roar and Neuharth ended up on his back in neutral ice being congratulated by his teammates.  It was quite a score, and though there was 5 minutes left to play, the game was over.  Despite drawing a penalty with four minutes to go, Prior Lake’s defense never let the Storm offense roll after that score.  The Storm power play was not effective.  The game ended 3-2.  Prior Lake won.  The Lakers beat the #1 ranked Storm.  

What is next?

YHH’s Top 50 peewee A players will be posted starting this week.  Hockey never stops in Minnesota.