Statistically speaking the two best teams in Minnesota at the Bantam B level this year were Wayzata (Blue) and Elk River (Black). Each team held down the number one spot in our Staff Rankings for much of the season. Elk River had won two of the three meetings between the two teams including a convincing 6-2 Championship win over the Trojans in the Elk River Twaddle Tournament in January.
On Sunday they faced off in Rochester for the State Title. It was a great game between two great teams. Both teams arrived in Rochester as the number one seeds out of the Regionals. Elk River snuck by #3 rated Prior Lake and Moorhead to gain the Finals. Wayzata beat Mounds View Irondale and Brainerd to get to the chip.
The game was a great back and forth game for two periods. In the first period, both teams traded goals (Kole Besse, ER and Kole DeRosier WAY). Late in the first, with the Trojans on the Power Play, the Elks got an odd man rush. Elk River big man Tucker Budreau got a nice pass and he buried it with a beautiful slap shot to give the Elks a 2-1 lead after 1.
Wayzata would get the equalizer in the second by Travis Schreiner and the whole season would come down to one period of hockey. You could cut the tension with a knife. In the third, Tournament MVP Luke Goetz would score the first of his three goals to give Wayzata a 3-2 lead. A couple minutes later, Wayzata would end the game with an amazing 33 second surge. Goetz would get his second to make it 4-2 and 11 seconds later it was 5-2 Trevor Fern would score and then 22 more seconds late it was 6-2 on a goal by Evan Sivets for Wayzata.
Wayzata would run away with the third period scoring five unanswered goals win the title for a Wayzata B Bantam team for the third straight year 7-2.
