As all attention moves to one of the top hockey events in the United States, the Minnesota High School State Tournament this week in St. Paul, MN; Neutral Zone scouts recap the AA Sectional Finals games to give some background heading into the tournament.
#4 (Seed) Lakeville South defeats rival #2 (Seed) Lakeville North to advance to State Tourney
Coming into the game nobody knew each other as well as these two teams being that they literally share the same town together. Many of them have played together or against each other numerous times growing up. It was a battle for the bragging rights of Lakeville, MN on Thursday night to determine who walked out of Section 1 AA.
Neither team had a history of high flying offense during the year and it was expected to be a highly physical game going in. The game didn’t display a ton of offensive chances and was a grind it out type of game.
Lakeville South came out strong in the first period establishing the fore check and getting pucks to the net along with traffic. It resulted in the first goal of the game as (F) Cameron Boche banged home a rebound from the crease to make it 1-0 South. The biggest goal came in the last minute of the 1st period when a buck to a fortuitous bounce and landed on the stick of (F) Cade Ahrenholz in tight and he made no mistake about it as he hammered it into the open net making it 2-0 Lakeville South.
South then just packed it in and played very discipline down the stretch by not letting North penetrate or get second chance opportunities. They relied on their Captain and starting net minder (G) Henry Welsch to make the first save and end the strong North push. North was led by a strong game from (F) Spencer Schneider (Bowling Green) who made plays and beat defenders out of corners to create scoring chances.
At the end of the day, the structure of Lakeville South and their determination came through as they added two empty net goals late from (F) Boche and (F) Ahrenholz to seal the deal with a 4-0 win against their arch rival. Lakeville South became the lowest ranked seed (#4) to advance to the State Tournament in St. Paul.
NZ Take
This game lacked offensive scoring chances and odd man rushed but displayed a ton of heart and physical play from both teams. Neither team scores a ton so the first goal was huge and Lakeville South found a way to get to the net and get the greasy goals needed to walk away with a win
Although the game was 4-0 it was in fact much closer as it came down to who was going to get a bounce here and there. Lakeville North ended up outshooting Lakeville South 46-27, many of their shots came in the 2nd and 3rd periods while trailing by two goals.
The most noticeable players in the game were Lakeville South (F) Cade Ahrenholz and (G) Henry Welsch along with Lakeville North (F) Spencer Schneider. Down the stretch the defensive structure of South and the strong play form their goaltender proved too much for North to overcome.
If they played the game tomorrow again there may be a different outcome, but for now South found a way to get it done and punch their ticked to St. Paul. This isn’t the first meeting of the two teams in the Section 1AA Finals and surely won’t be the last.
3 Stars of the Game
1st Star: Henry Welsch (Lakeville South) 46 Save Shutout
2nd Star: Cade Ahrenholz (Lakeville South) 2-0-2
3rd Star: Spencer Schneider (Lakeville North)
#3 (Seed) EDEN PRIARIE beats #4 (Seed) HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC to WIN Section 2AA
The two underdogs in Section 2AA met for a showdown at Marriucci 3M Arena to determine which team would complete the upset and sneak out of the section to the Excel Center next week and compete in the State Tournament.
Most of the action took place in the first period with Eden Prairie striking first as (F) Jack Jensen (Minnesota) to a pass on a 2 on 1 from (F) Sam Wilhite and went across the grain with it to put the Eagles up 1-0. Less than 2 minutes later (F) Jack Jensen powered through a check at the blue line and laid a puck to (F) Drew Holt to spring a quick 2 on 1. Holt kept it for the shot and wired a wrister short side over the opposing netminder’s glove to give the Eagles the 2-0 lead.
Holy family pushed back less than a minute later as they scored on the power play when (F) Lucas Jorgenson got a puck through from the half wall that found the stick of (F) Sawyer Schugel on the back door on a rebound. This enormous goal relieved some pressure for Holy Family and allowed them to settle in and not get too far behind.
The scoring went quiet after the first period as the game came down to a 2-1 game late in the third period. Holy Family was able to pull their goalie and get set up in the Eden Prairie zone with strong possession. With the crowd going ballistic, the Fire put a ton of pucks to the net and ended up with a mad scramble at the Eagles crease. With a mad pile around the net and the goalie down, somehow a loose puck was cleared within inches from the goal line to the half wall. The puck ended up on the stick of (F) Carter Batchelder (Colorado College) who barried it into the open net from about 180 feet out to win the game for Eden Prairie 3-1.
NZ Take
The better team in this game won and deserved the victory. Eden Prairie outshot Holy Family 32-19 and controlled most of the play throughout the game. We give Holy Family a lot of credit as they withstood a strong start by Eden Prairie early.
Jack Jensen was a dominant player throughout the game as he used his thick frame and strong skating ability to control the puck. Outside of the top line for Holy Family led by (F) Garrett Pinoniemi (Minnesota), the Fire just couldn’t muster up enough offensive zone time and were often one and done. Pinoniemi showed off his slick hands and shiftiness with the puck often while leading several rushed up ice resulting in shots on net.
The defensive core of Eden Prairie led by their young star (D) Luke Mittelstadt (Minnesota) were strong in defending the rush as well as making the first pass to get out of their end. Mittelstadt didn’t look like a young defender in his first season of High School hockey. He was calm and poised with the puck in all situations.
This section is considered one of the toughest in the State and although Eden Prairie was a #3 seed, don’t be surprised if they win a couple games in the State Tournament.
3 Stars of the Game
1st Star: Jack Jensen (EDEN PRAIRIE) 1-1-2
2nd Star: Luke Mittelstadt (EDEN PRAIRIE) 0-0-0
3rd Star: Sawyer Schugel (HOLY FAMILY) 1-0-1
#1 (Seed) White Bear Lake defeats arch rival #2 (Seed) Hill-Murray to move on to State
For those that aren’t familiar with Minnesota High School Hockey, here’s all you need to know. These two teams hate each other! With the close proximity of the two schools and the fact that Hill-Murray is private, there has been many players in the past leave White Bear Lake and enroll at Hill-Murray. Both teams have had a lot of success in the past and were hoping to punch their ticket to St. Paul.
Aldrich Arena was filled with thousands of loud and rowdy fans routing their respective teams on. White Bear Lake kicked off the scoring half way through he 1st period when (F) Blake Meister blew down the left wing and snapped off a beautiful wrister up top to give the Bears the lead 1-0. Five minutes later (F) Lleyton Roed took a great pass from the corner off the stick on (F) Sam Newpower and buried it up top to extend the lead to 2-0.
Hill-Murray rebounded in the 2nd period when (D) Matthew Fleischhaker’s seeing eye wrist shot from the point found the back of the net through traffic to cut the lead in half. The turning point of the game came when Hill Murray had a power play and a great look off the rush down the right wing. The shot went wide and rimmed around resulting in a 2 on 1 the other way for the Bears. With the puck on the stick on (F) Blake Meister, he threaded a pass over to (F) Chase Bill who took it back against the grain and tucked it in the open net to give White Bear Lake a 3-1 lead
Hill-Murray fought back and had a strong push in the 3rd period out shooting White Bear Lake 13-5. The Pioneers cut the lead to 3-1 when (F) Henry Eischen batted a puck out of the air in the crease with great hand eye coordination. That was as close as the Pioneers would get as White Bear Lake finished their rival on to move on to the State Tournament.
NZ TAKE
We took Hill-Murray in with our pick in the Section Preview, but the Bears from White Bear Lake showed us that their determination was too much to handle. The atmosphere in the building and the compete level on the ice made this a great game to watch as a hockey fan.
Hats off to the Bears as they earned their Section title by playing discipline and capitalizing on their chances. Scoring early and playing with the lead proved to be pivotal as they had proven to be stingy defensively all year long
Up front (F) Blake Meister, (F) Chase Bill and (F) Lleyton Roed had great games as they made plays and showed they can finish when given the opportunities. The unsung blue line of the Bears kept things simple and got pucks out of their end quickly not giving the Pioneers the chance for sustained pressure.
Hill-Murray played a strong game in falling short and got great play from (F) Charlie Strobel. The big power forward can lay the hammer down on opponents and really shoot the puck. A big key to White Bear Lake’s success in the game was their effort to make sure that the Pioneers star defender (D) Brett Oberle (Minnesota-Duluth) was held in check.
3 Stars of the Game
1st Star: Blake Meister (White Bear Lake) 1-1-2
2nd Star: Chase Bill (White Bear Lake) 1-1-2
3rd Star: Lleyton Roed (White Bear Lake) 1-0-1
#2 (Seed) Duluth East outlasts #1 (Seed) Andover in thriller to advance to State Tourney
Duluth, MN was rocking on Thursday night as Amsoil Arena, which is the home of the University of Minnesota-Duluth was jam packed. Everyone wanted to see how the rematch of last year’s Section 7AA Final would turn out.
Andover was riding high this season and came in with the top seed after a 2-1 OT win at home earlier in the season. This was Section Final hockey at its finest and much to Andover’s dismay it took place 2 hours north in Duluth.
Duluth East struck first in the 1st period when (F) Ricky Lyle stepped into a one timer from the top of the circles and pounded home the first goal the game. Andover answered less than a minute later when (D) Wyatt Kaiser (Minnesota-Duluth) tied the score at 1-1.
In the 2nd period Andover (F) Kyle Nelson gave the Huskies the lead at 2-1. The score was once again tied when (F) Ricky Lyle got his second goal of the night when he jammed home a loose puck laying in the crease. The game remained tied going into the 3rd period making for an exciting finish.
Duluth East took a 3-2 lead when (F) Jack Fitzgerald found a rebound laying in front of the net after (F) Logan Anderson centered it from behind the net. Fitzgerald was able to slide it underneath Andover (G) Ben Fritsinger to give the Greyhounds the lead.
Andover eventually tied the game on a power play when sharp shooter (F) Charlie Schoen (Arizona State) riffled one from the goal line on the short side. The game would go scoreless and bring the ruckus crowd to overtime.
Duluth East was able to get a power play early in the first overtime on a tough call that left Andover fans frustrated. Ricky Lyle made yet another great play from the goal line and found Duluth East start (F) Ryder Donovan (Wisconsin) on the back door to seal the deal for the Hounds 4-3.
NZ’s Take
This was the best game we viewed as it was fast and physical with plays being made. No team had more than a 1 goal lead the entire game and there were several lead changes. Unfortunately for Andover the game came down to a power play on a questionable call. Neither team deserved to lose and both played their hearts out.
This marks the second straight year that Duluth East has beaten Andover in the Section 7AA Final leaving us feeling for the Andover team that was great all year.
For our money (F) Ricky Lyle was the best player on the ice and was rewarded for his competitive effort. (F) Ryder Donovan was apparently battling a flu bug and was held in check until banged home the game winning goal in OT.
Andover’s top line was great consisting of (F) Charlie Schoen, (F) Luke Kron and (F) Nick Dainty but unfortunately were denied yet another trip to the State Tournament. (D) Wyatt Kaiser logged a ton of great minutes during the game and was a constant factor with his puck possession.
3 Stars of the Game
1st Star: Ricky Lyle (DULUTH EAST) 2-2-4
2nd Star: Wyatt Kaiser (ANDOVER) 1-1-2
3rd Star: Ryder Donovan (DULUTH EAST) 1-0-1 GWG
#1 (Seed) EDINA cruises past #3 (Seed) Benilde-St. Margaret’s on their way to State
Edina faced off against BSM in the second of two section finals on Wednesday at 3M Arena at Mariucci. The facility seats over 10,000 people and was all but ¾ full throughout the evening. The large crowd took place to catch a glimpse of the high-octane Edina Hornets squad which is built for a run at the State Championship.
BSM was playing the type of game needed for an upset as they took care of the puck and stayed out of the box. Just as soon as you recognized their discipline play, they took two penalties and put Edina on a 5 on 3 in the second period of a scoreless game. It didn’t take long for (F) Mason Nevers (Minnesota) to hammer a one timer top shelf from the top of the circle on nicely placed pass from (D) Mike Vorlicky (Wisconsin). This put Edina up 1-0 early in the 2nd period.
All things considered, the Red Knights were only down 1-0 going into the 3rd period and one shot away from tying it up. Just where they wanted to be. Only 1 minute into the 3rd period (F) Brett Chorske tipped a shot from the point off the stick off (D) Nick Williams (Minnesota) to put the Hornets up 2-0.
The Red Knights bounce back shortly after narrowing the lead to 2-1 when (F) Johan Mortenson came out of the corner on his back hand and snuck a puck through the legs of the Hornets net minder. The Hornets struck next as the speedy (F) Jett Jungels (Northern Michigan) flew through 3 defenders trapping him on the blue line and buried on a short breakaway to make it 3-1. The floodgates opened up after the Jungels tally as they got 2 more goals from (F) Grant Morton and (F) Kevin Delaney to eventually run away with a 5-1 victory
NZ Take
Benilde had the right game plan by coming out with a simple game and getting pucks deep. They kept it within striking distance going into the 3rd period and were probably happy to be down by 1 going into the final period.
Edina kept their foot on the gas and played their game consistently. They didn’t panic or get away from what makes them successful as they skated and attacked off the rush. Eventually the talent and depth of the Hornets was too much for the Red Knights and the better team won the game. Edina showed why they are the favorites to win the State tournament next week.
The Edina blue line of Mike Vorlicky (Wisconsin), Jake Boltmann (Minnesota), Nick Williams (Minnesota) and Mason Reiners was just too much for BSM to penetrate or sustain any offense against. When these top 4 are playing at the top of their game, Edina is nearly unbeatable.
Up front the Hornets executed line rushes brilliantly and found way to get traffic around the net. When Jett Jungels is using his speed on the Olympic sized rink he can be frustrating to chase around. The hockey sense and compete level of Mason Nevers was awesome as he did it all in every zone off the ice. Their supporting cast of Liam Malmquist, Brett Chorske and Kevin Delaney make it hard to match lines against them as they have 2 lines that can hurt you.
3 Stars of the Game
1st Star: Jett Jungels (EDINA) 1-1-2
2nd Star: Mason Nevers (EDINA) 1-0-1
3rd Star: Mike Vorlicky (EDINA) 0-2-2-
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
