In their game Friday afternoon against Highland Park, Park tied the score 1-1 after Ely took an early 1-0 lead in the first period.  Highland Park got the only second period goal to take a 2-1 lead into the third period.  Ely rallied in the opening minutes of the third period to lead 3-2.  The Scotts tied the game with three minutes left to play.  Neither team could score in a wild overtime period that saw 13 shots on the nets (Park outshooting Ely 7-6).

A penalty slowed the Timberwolves in the opening minute of play.  The Scots power play proved to be tough.  Ely killed that penalty and a minute later the Wolves’ Gage Merhar stole the puck from a Highland defender at the Scots’ blue line.  Merhar knocked the puck towards the Scots left face off circle.  He picked up the puck skating towards the face off dot and beat Scots goalie Jack Branby with a shot into the upper right corner.  Ely led 1-0.  Ted Pierce and Matthew Killoran got the assists.  Six minutes later, Highland tied the game when sophomore Billy Wengler one-timed a pass from the end boards behind Ely’s net past Wolves goalie Mark Kiloran for the score.  Charlie Sutmar and Gabe Nelson got the assists.  After Wengler got the second Scotts goal in the second period putting Highland up 2-1, Ely took the lead halfway through the third period on goals by Andy Krunkkala (Merhar got the assist) and Ted Pierce (Nick Mattila got the assist).  Ely’s goalie Mark Kiloran stopped 47 of 50 Highland Park shots; Scots goalie Jack Branby stopped 34 of 37 Timberwolves shots.

Highland Park beat another Section 7A team Moose Lake 4-1 Saturday.  The Scots play St. Paul Como Park this Wednesday and then travel to Waseca to play in the Waseca Invitational Tourney playing host Waseca, Pine City/Rush City, and Waconia.  The Scots lost to Como Park 5-2 early this season.  The game with Como Park will be their second of a three game season series.  With Highland Park already having lost to Simley 4-1 in their only other Section 4A game, a win over Como Park and a good Waseca tourney would definitely improve Highland Park's chances for a better seed in the February Section 4A playoffs.

Friday, Bloomington Kennedy edged Holy Angels 2-1.  In a tight game, Kennedy scored twice in the second period to win.  The Eagles’ Jacob Ekhom scored the winning goal.  Kennedy’s #2 scorer this season, Anders Gelecinskyj, scored the first Kennedy goal less than two minutes into the second period.  Holy Angels’ Pete Laird’s first period score gave the Stars and early 1-0.  The game was close, in part, due to Holy Angels holding Kennedy’s leading scorer Jory McWilliams scoreless in Friday’s game.  Saturday, behind McWilliams two first period unassisted scores, the Eagles beat the Stars 5-3 to sweep the two game series.

McWilliams who has been the leading scorer in the Red/Black League the past two years scored his first goal seven minutes into the opening period.  McWilliams picked off a pass at the Holy Angels blue line.  He broke left and skated into the high slot and blistered a shot past Stars’ goalie Sean Daley.  The Stars struck back quickly.  Ten seconds later, Holy Angels’ Riley Zangs scored to tie the game 1-1.  The tie only lasted 90 seconds before McWilliams went to work again.  This time he beat the Stars defense to a loose puck at the Holy Angels’ blue line center, evaded two Stars defenders and soloed to the Holy Angels’ net straight down the slot.  McWilliams got Daley down faking right with his stick and breaking left for the score.  Kennedy’s Edge Choudek scored late in the period putting the Eagles up 3-1 going into the second period.  Two simultaneous penalties were called on the Eagles one minute into the second period.  The Angels’ Matthew Reser scored a 5-on-3 power play goal cutting Kennedy’s lead to 3-2.  The first three minutes of the third period was tough on Holy Angels.  Kennedy’s Javaughn Soretire scored thirty seconds into the period.  A minute later, Holy Angels drew an interference penalty and Kennedy’s Gelecinskyj scored the power play goal to put the Eagles up 5-2.  The Stars Collin Lynch scored a power goal in the final minute of play to end the scoring 5-3.  After a cleanly skated first period, the teams struggled playing 5-on-4 hockey in 16 of the final 34 minutes as a result of penalties.

Holy Angels will play in the Section 6AA playoffs in February.  Section 6AA includes the team playing the beat hockey in the state in December, Benilde-St. Margaret’s.  Also in Section 6AA are Wayzata and Edina, both tough teams.  But the Angels are in the mix in the middle of the 6AA rankings with a surprising St. Louis Park (5-1-0) and a surprisingly poor early season performing Cretin-Derham Hall (3-6-0).  Section 6AA will have an interesting playoff.  Holy Angels plays St. Paul Johnson Wednesday.  After years of struggling, East Side hockey is making a comeback with Johnson posting a 7-2 this season.  Johnson beat Minneapolis 6-1 and South St. Paul 6-1 in their last two games.  Holy Angels will be the underdog at Phalen Wednesday.  In a scheduling quirk, the Stars will play Cretin and St. Louis Park over the holidays.  That will sort out some things in Section 2A for Kennedy and in 6AA for Holy Angels.

There are two ways to look at this game.  Burnsville fires back beating Apple Valley 6-1 after losing a tough game to Prior Lake Thursday is one view.  Another view is an injury riddled Apple Valley struggles losing their third game in a row after a good opening season start.  Both perspectives are true.  But settings views aside, the Eagles competed.  They hung in for the first half of the game trailing 2-1 with nine minutes to go in the second period.  The Blaze’s Eric Otto scored first three minutes into the opening period.  Sophomore Robbie Wedan got the second score.  The Eagles offense struggled in the opening period as the Blaze outshot them 14-4.  Apple Valley cut the lead to 2-1 six minutes into the second period.  The Eagles Branden Penz scored a power play goal.  At that point, the Blaze offense went into high gear.  Skating regular lines, Cade Borchardt and Ryan Brunner each scored two minutes apart in the middle of the period to break the game open.  The second period ended with Burnsville leading 4-1.  Valley was outshot in the second period 14-3.  A quick opening goal in the first 30 seconds of the third by Borchardt put the Blaze up 5-1 and the game out of the Eagles’ reach.  The Blaze won 6-1 outshooting the Eagles 34-10.  Burnsville rolled their lines and their defense held the Eagle forwards to only 10 shots on net.  Not unexpected since injuries had forced changes to the Eagles top two lines.

Apple Valley plays Rosemount Wednesday before traveling to Duluth to play in the Heritage Classic.  Their first tourney game is against Eau Claire Memorial (WI).  The Old Abes are one of the top ranked teams in Wisconsin.  They are tied with Hudson for the lead in the Two Rivers Conference.  Eau Claire’s one loss this was to New Richmond 4-0 early in the season.  New Richmond had just lost to St. Paul Johnson 2-1 before playing Eau Claire.  Apple Valley is bracketed with St. Paul Academy and Mankato West.  Hudson (WI) and St. Louis Park are in the other bracket.  This tourney will be good test for the Eagles if they are healthy.

Grand Rapids and Elk River tangled in their third game of the Edina Holiday Classic played at Braemar Saturday evening.  The Thunderhawks had beaten Edina 6-4 and lost to Eden Prairie 6-3 in their two previous games.  The Elks had lost twice to Eden Prairie 5-2 and to Edina 4-0.  The Elks had three seniors on the ice in Saturday’s game.  Elk River is dominated by juniors and sophomores this season.  The one Elk ninth grader, Jack Perbix, centered the Elks #2 line out.  Grand Rapids has a power house line with Jonah Bischoff centering Mitchell Mattson and Alex Adams.  But Saturday that line misfired.  The Rapids #2 line out centered by Blake McLaughlin with wings Micah Miller and Gavin Hain had a better game.

The game was tied 1-1 early in the second period when the Elks scored twice to take a 3-1 lead into the third period.  The Elks’ Max Michaelis scored off a melee in front of the Grand Rapids net when the rebounding puck ended up at the top of the crease.  Michaelis top shelved the puck for a 2-1 Elks lead.  Less than 30 seconds later, an Elk forward popped the puck high from inside the Elk’s zone dropping the puck in front of a breaking Jenson Zerban for a solo rush on Elk’s goalie Ben Meyers.  Zerban beat Meyers on the right side for the score putting Elk River up 3-1 going into the third period.  A five minute major was called on Grand Rapids in the opening minutes of the third period.  For the next two and a half minutes, the Elks controlled the puck on the power play inside the Rapids zone.  They worked the puck to the center blue line and screened the goalie left leaving a narrow area open on the right side for the score and a 4-1 lead.  The Elks added a fifth goal shortly after the major penalty ended.  Late in the third period, Grand Rapids Gavin Hain cleared the defense on a solo rush in the right slot and beat Meyers with a hard shot to the left upper corner to end the scoring 6-2.  The Rapids lines just could not connect on their passes on rushes.  Their #1 line out struggled the most because they let the Elk River defenders initiate contact first going for the puck or for position on the pass.  The Rapid’s frustration cost them in penalties.

Edina and Eden Prairie have become hockey rivals and that rivalry is slowly replacing the Edina/Wayzata rivalry as #1 in Lake Conference hockey.  The two teams battle each other at least three times a year meeting twice in conference play and once in the Edina Holiday Classic.  Both teams covet meeting a fourth time for the ticket to the Xcel in sectional playoffs, but not this year.  Edina has slipped the bonds of Section 2AA play for Section 6AA returning to battle Wayzata for the 6AA ticket to the Xcel.  Eden Prairie remained in Section 2AA to contend with Prior Lake, Minnetonka, and Holy Family Catholic.  Saturday night the final game of the Edina’s holiday tourney turned into an emotional battle full of ups and downs for both teams.

Eden Prairie took a 2-0 lead in the first period.  With six minutes gone in the opening period, Edina drew a penalty and Eden Prairie’s power play took control of play in the Edina zone.  The Edina penalty killers held the Eagles forcing the puck wide until Eden Prairie winger Cole Lawrence fed Hunter Johannes alone in the slot.  Johannes buried the one-timer beating Edina goalie Charlie deGrood to put EP up 1-0.  Three minutes later, Michael Graham won the race to the puck in the Edina zone, cut to the slot, and beat the Edina goalie again to put the Eagles up 2-0 with five minutes to go in the period.  Edina struck twice to tie the game in the last three minutes of the period.  Edina’s Ben Copland scored when the puck took a weird bounce left on an Edina rush to Copland at the left crease.  Copland scored to cut EP’s lead to 2-1.  With less than 30 seconds left in the period, Bram Scheerer scored on a shot from the right side in the low face off circle that EP goalie Nick Wiencek high on the left side to tie the game 2-2.  The Eagles outshot the Hornets 11-7 in the first period.

The second period opened with a Hornet interference penalty.  Again, the EP power play got pressure on Edina, but could not get the tie breaking goal.  The game opened up with both teams skating end-to-end, except Edina never got a shot on goal.  In the first eight minutes of play, the Hornets’ rush was there.  But Edina could not find the net until under pressue at the nine minute mark they cleared their zone with the puck ending up on Wiencek’s stick in the goal.  With four minutes to go in the period, EP’s Casey Mittelstadt scored on weird shot that may have been deflected to put the Eagles up 3-2.  His shot broke the tie.  It was Eden Prairie’s turn to draw a penalty at the opening of a period.  Four minutes into the third period, the Hornets went on the power play.  Edina got possession of the puck in the Eagles’ zone and put a shot on goalie Wiencek.  Wiencek made the initial save but the puck ended up loose among skates in the right slot where the Hornet’s Copeland gained control and snapped a shot off beating Wiencek and the left side to tie the game 3-3 with a power play score.

Eden Prairie drew another penalty a minute after Edina scored the tying goal, but weathered the Hornet swarm with Wiencek playing strong in the net killing the penalty.  Back to 5-on-5 hockey, it was all Eden Prairie.  For the next minute, the Eagles attacked the Hornet goal until a puck rebounded to Michael Graham in the slot.  Graham had a second or two to set his sights and buried the puck firing it past a Hornet defender into the net.  The Eagles led 4-3.  The score game with eight minutes left to play.  Two minutes later, the Eagles Nolan Sullivan scored a power play goal and a minute later Eden Prairie’s Jarod Blackowiak scored on a solo shot to ice the game.  EP led 6-3 with three minutes to play.  Edina’s Casey Dornbach scored with a minute left to make the final score 6-4.