Edina Dominates 4-0 to Advance to State Tournament
Neutral Zone scouted the highly anticipated Section 6AA Final between Edina Hornets and Benilde-St. Margaret’s Red Knights. Both these teams produce high-scoring offenses while both averaging less than 2 goals against per game. The two teams faced off back in January with Benilde-St. Margaret’s taking the decisive 5-2 win on the road. Seven different players recorded points for the Red Knights in that win. Expect a high tempo and puck possession game from both teams and watch for special teams to play a role.
As anticipated, both teams came out hard, feeding off the sold-out crowd at Bloomington Ice Garden. Physicality dominated the first couple minutes before both teams settled down a bit and found their game. Edina had a good chance about four minutes in off a broken rush but was controlled without an issue by Mason McElroy #34 (G, L, 5’11”, 164, Benilde St. Margaret’s, 03/13/2006). Seven minutes in, not many chances for either side, but a lot of speed, skill, and strength on display. Benilde-St. Margaret’s forced a couple of Edina icings, hemming the Hornets in for a bit but resulted in nothing for the Red Knights. Moments later Edina scored off the draw on a dart from Caden Morgan #7 (D, L, 6’1″, 185, Edina HS, 11/15/2004) at the point to put Edina up 1-0. Following a relatively quiet few minutes, Jackson Nevers #18 (F, R, 6’0″, 175, Edina HS, 07/27/2005) scored off the rush to make it 2-0 Edina. The goal started with Caden Morgan in his own zone making a nice breakout pass to Riley Spindler #14 (F, R, 5’11”, 175, Edina HS, 03/20/2004) who then chipped it to Nevers to double Edina’s lead. After a quiet last couple of minutes, the Hornets would take that 2-0 lead into the first intermission. Shots 7-6, Edina.
The second period showcased a lot of the same as seen in the first. Edina was all over pucks and not allowing Benilde-St. Margaret’s to gain entry easily. A few minutes in, Edina almost got some insurance when AJ Doll #22 (F, R, 5’11”, 168, Edina HS, 08/22/2003) found himself alone in the slot, but McElroy turned him aside. The Hornets were given another chance to add to their lead when they were awarded a powerplay with about 9 minutes left in the period, but Red Knights’ penalty killers came up big to deny Edina any grade-A chances and keep themselves in the game. After the Red Knights strung together a few good shifts on the heels of their penalty kill, Edina finally got their third, this time on a 2 on 1 that saw Johnny Halverson #16 (F, R, 5’8″, 175, Edina HS, 10/26/2005) dart up ice and make a nice play to slide the puck over to Matt Vander Vort #19 (F, R, 5’10”, 175, Edina HS, 01/21/2005) who snuck it under the pads of McElroy. The Hornets followed up their goal with a few more dominant shifts, hoping to put the dagger in Benilde-St. Margaret’s. However, the Red Knights would go to the powerplay with just two minutes left, but even on the man advantage, the Red Knights were still no match for Edina’s defense, who kills off the penalty to take a 3-0 lead into the third period. Shots 20-18, Edina.
The third period was no different than the first two, and every second that ticks off the clock made it harder for Benilde-St. Margaret’s to stage its comeback. The first two minutes saw Edina not easing up a bit. The Hornets continued to play with speed while still denying the Red Knights any chances. This would remain constant for the most part until Benilde-St. Margaret’s got an opportunity point-blank in front that forced Robert Clarkowski #1 (G, L, Edina HS, 2005) to make a couple of acrobatic saves, but other than that not much happening for the Red Knights. With five minutes left, it was Clarkowski again with another huge save to keep his team up by three. With three minutes to go, Wyatt Wurst #4 (D, L, 6’0″, 165, Edina HS, 12/16/2003) scored an empty netter to seal the deal for Edina. 4-0 the final for the Hornets to win the Section 6AA Championship and end Benilde-St. Margaret’s incredible run. Final Shots 33-26, Edina.
It was not Benilde-St. Margaret’s night as they had no answer to Edina. In a game that saw not much pushback from the Red Knights, Gavin Reed #14 (D, L, 6’3″, 197, Benilde St. Margaret’s, 03/31/2005) and Brady Yakesh #16 (D, R, 5’8″, 170, Benilde St. Margaret’s, 09/15/2003, Minnesota) were bright spots on the backend and have bright futures ahead of them.
Edina will head to the Minnesota State High School Championship next week at the Xcel Energy Center in hopes of winning its fourteenth state championship.
Three Stars:
First: Caden Morgan, Edina
Second: Robbie Clarkowski, Edina
Third: John Halverson, Edina
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
