Outdoor hockey on an open-air rink aesthetically lends itself to creativity, to flow, to fluidity.

The space feels bigger without walls, a player’s imagination not confined to a low ceiling or the sometimes claustrophobic atmosphere of a typical arena.  

With a playing style nearly a perfect match for the pond, it’s fitting that the Chaska Hawks would embrace the blank canvas. 

“We’ve got a lot of skilled players,” Hawks’ assistant coach Sean Bloomfield said on Tuesday night. 

“We try to let them play.”

And play they did on Tuesday, edging host St. Louis Park 6-5 in overtime in a seesaw battle played in front of a raucous and enthusiastic near-capacity crowd. 

Sophomore forward and Minnesota commit Rhett Pitlick scooped up a rebound in front of St. Louis Park goaltender Atticus Raasch, pulled the puck to his forehand and gave Chaska (12-6, 4-2) the win on enemy ice. 

Pitlick’s game-winner came after Chaska allowed two late goals to the Orioles (11-6-2, 4-1-1), a point of emphasis for Bloomfield.

“We do try to pride ourselves on (playing) a good defensive zone,” Bloomfield said. “And then our (defenders) are aggressive when they get the chance.” 

Junior defenseman John Starkey scored the first goal of the game, blasting a slap shot past Raasch to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead after the first period. 

The teams traded goals through the end of the second period, with the score knotted at 3-3 after two frames. 

Goals by freshman and Wisconsin commit Shane Lavelle and senior Landry Kuss put the Hawks ahead 5-3 with 6:30 to play in the third, but St. Louis Park’s Sam Baker and Willy Basill answered with under four minutes to play to force the extra session. 

“We saw it as an opportunity to have the game come down the last few minutes,” Bloomfield said. 

“We called a timeout and the message was ‘this is what we play for,’” Bloomfield continued with a grin. 

“This is sport.”

Chaska avoided being swept by St. Louis Park with the win, having lost to the Orioles 7-1 on Jan. 9. 

Three freshmen on the Orioles' roster bypassed their second year of Bantam hockey to play key roles for the Orioles. Jack Wandmacher and McCabe Dvorak are among the team's leading scorers, while Sam Berry helps hold down the fort on defense. 

With the win, Chaska's record in overtime games is now 2-1. The Hawks bears Lakeville North 4-3 on Jan. Dec. 29 and lost to Benilde-St. Margaret's 3-2 on Jan. 4. 

St. Louis Park's record in games featuring an overtime is 1-1-2.