Attending the match-up between Shattuck-St. Mary’s (SSM) Bantam and the Edina Bantam AA teams Friday night on the campus of SSM was, to use a hockey term, an empty netter. At the program level, it matched one of the perennial powers in Minnesota youth hockey in the Hornets against the consistently nationally ranked Tier One program of the Sabres. On a team level, Shattuck’s bantam roster sports a high number of Minnesotans (8) this year, and Edina rosters many players from its back-to-back Minnesota State Championship Pee Wee AA teams. Lastly, on an individual level, it was set to see Grant Silianoff, Edina youth hockey phenom and recent Notre Dame commit, face off against many of his former teammates. SSM came into the game with a gaudy 20-0-2 record, while the recently formed Edina team also came in undefeated, winning its first four games of the season and outscoring its opponents 33-10 in the victories. With all the story lines to write on Friday night, it was the play on the ice that told most of the story.
First Period: The first period began with a pace of play consistent with what one would expect from a game packed with highly skilled players and traditionally great teams. Shattuck would strike first just a minute into the period when Robert Mastrosimone won a puck battle in the corner and walked in alone on the Edina net. His first shot was stopped, but he buried his own rebound to make it 1-0 Sabres. Shattuck would go up 2-0 just four minutes later when Kaden Bohlsen finished on a rebound following a rush by Nik Norman and defenseman Braden Doyle. Despite being down 2-0 early, Edina continued to counter and, following an unsuccessful power play with just one shot on goal, they tallied their first goal. After a scramble in the SSM zone, the puck was gathered by defenseman Mike Vorlicky near the blue line and he found Aaron Frankel in the left circle. Frankel’s quick shot went low to the stick side and beat the Sabre’s goalie Derek Mullahy . The team would trade shots for the remainder of the period and coast into the second period with the score 2-1.
Second Period: The second period saw SSM start to assert their dominance with early rushes that were being successfully stopped by Edina’s blue liners of Vorlicky, Mason Reiners , Jake Boltmann and Drew Bishop. And, when the Sabre’s did get quality chances, Edina net minder Jack Wolfe was up to the task in keeping the game a one goal affair. However, at six minutes into the second, SSM would tally its third goal of the game. Following a nice cycle in the corner, Nik Norman would find Tyler Rollwagen in the slot and he would finish up high to make the score 3-1. Shattuck would then go on the power play just two minutes later but despite controlling the zone and having many shots were unable to find the back of the net. However, out of the penalty kill, with a tired Edina line completing a change, Grant Silianoff would control the puck in the Edina zone and find Nik Norman who would beat Wolfe and Shattuck found itself up 4-1. The Hornets would answer just a minute and a half later when Liam Malmquist fired a shot off the half wall in the Shattuck zone and Aaron Frenkel deflected the attempt past the SSM goalie. This brought the game back to just a two goal lead. The final two minutes of the second period would see heated action and near misses by both sides. But, despite their efforts, the score would remain 4-2 heading into the third.
Third Period: To start the third period, Shattuck St. Mary’s made it clear early why they are the top ranked team in U14 (Bantam) nationally. They dominated play with speed and controlled the puck in the Hornet’s zone for the first shifts. At three and a half minutes in, Robert Mastrosimone found himself open in the slot and Cullen Vinar fed him with an excellent pass. Mastrosimone had no hesitation and finished for his second goal of the night. The Sabres would score twice more in the following minutes, with goals from Griffin Streeter and A J Hodges, to up their lead to 7-2. Edina appeared to have no answer for them offensively and SSM continued to press with all four lines. With four minutes to play, Robert Mastrosimone took a pass in the left circle, this time from Griffin Streeter, and he would go high on the blocker side for the nicest goal of the night. For Mastrosimone it would be his third goal, completing the hat trick, and would give the Sabres an 8-2 lead which is where the game would finish
The match-up between the Hornets and Sabres was a treat to watch; tremendous skill and two perennial hockey powers is always fun for hockey fans to observe. SSM performed like a team that had already played twenty plus games this season and will certainly continue on to contend for a National Bantam title. Edina, just a few weeks into their season, looked less than sharp at times, but will no doubt push for a top spot in Minnesota’s District 6 and challenge the top teams for a run at the Minnesota Bantam AA State title. Upcoming, the Sabres will continue to play their national Tier One schedule with home games in the coming weeks, while Edina will proceed with District 6 play and also participate in the Bauer World Invite Tournament in Chicago next weekend. Look for both teams to continue to improve and chase their respective goals of winning titles in 2016.