Edina sophomore’s goal beats Hill-Murray 2-1 in 2 OTs
(NOTE TO DESK: You can use this separate, or, I’d recommend, as a short folo to the East story…)
Steve Eastman would have liked to say he’s scored 30 goals, and that he picked the short-side corner for his shot, but it just didn’t matter. Eastman rushed up the right side, had an opening, and blasted a shot at 5:28 of the second sudden-death overtime, giving Edina a 2-1 victory over Hill-Murray in the second quarterfinal of the Class AA state hockey tournament.
Eastman, only a sophomore, said: “I don’t know how many goals I’ve got this year. Maybe eight?”
Where did the winning shot go? “Short side,” he said.
Where were you aiming? “The left side, actually,” he said.
“Billy Jenkins gave the puck to Beau Kretzman, and he passed it to me,” Eastman said. “The defense wasn’t really covering me, so I thought I’d shoot.”{
The goal sends Edina into today’s 7 o’clock semifinal against Duluth East, a team that had whipped the Hornets 6-1 and 6-2 during the season. But, then, Hill-Murray had whipped the Hornets 6-2 also. And Edina can claim to be the overtime kings, having survived Eden Prairie’s top-seeded outfit in a four-overtime 6AA final, making it six overtimes in the last two Edina games.
“You never get used to overtimes,” said Edina’s first-year coach, Curt Giles.
Both of the teams have sometimes been physical — sometimes overly physical — but they pounded each other with good, clean checks and the game flowed with only two penalties on the Pioneers and one on Edina.
“We missed a lot of good chances, especially in the overtime,” said Hill-Murray coach Bill Lechner. “Edina played well. They’ve got a nice club, well-coached. But it’ll be tough getting our guys back up to play a consolation game at 10 a.m.”
That will be against Roseau, at Mariucci Arena. As the third period and the overtimes moved along, it appeared it might be the Hornets who were moving to consolation.
After a scoreless first period, Edina took a 1-0 lead when Dustin Heigl intercepted a breakout try and fed Chris Gehrke, who rifled a shot from the left point that beat goaltender Dan Kehler at 0:48 of the second period. Four minutes later, Hill-Murray tied it up when Mitch Frokjer moved up the slot and one-timed a neat pass from Peter Allen for the equalizer, beating goalie Chris Kapsen.
The Pioneers seemed stronger in the third period and in the overtimes, and, in fact, outshot Edina 7-2 in the second overtime until Eastman’s shot.
“Our goaltender played really well,” said Giles. “Now, we go after the Hounds.”
Scissons leads Bulldogs to extend season of frustration
Hockey tournament week means more than the fantastic pinnacle of the state high school tournament. It also coincides with the opening weekend of major college playoffs. Naturally it’s a week when college players watch to see how their old high school is doing, whether they’re from Duluth East, or Warroad, or…Saskatoon?
Yes, the magic of high school hockey might be something taken for granted by Minnesotans, but it also has had an intriguing allure to someone like Jeff Scissons, the UMD captain, who is from Saskatoon.
“We started hockey September 1 in Saskatchewan, so it’s already been a long season there,” Scissons said. “There was no school hockey, so everybody plays junior. There are two junior teams in Saskatoon; I played for the Contacts, and then there were the Blazers. Whenever we’d play each other, there were never any of my classmates at any of the games. All there were in the stands were parents, girlfriends and scouts.
“Starting Sept. 1, you could never play other sports. Football was ruled out, because you played hockey all year round. When I came down here, I watched some high school hockey games, and it’s great. Our hockey was exciting, but it’s the same for high school kids here, and there’s the school atmosphere, with all the classmates at the games.
“I never went to a school dance, because we were on the road so much. It’s just a completely different idea. I’m not saying one is better than the other. We played a lot more games, so there’s more game development, but the whole school atmosphere here is really something. When my dad came down for a visit, we went up to Cloquet just to watch a game so I could show him what it was like.”
Obviously, Scissons full focus is on college hockey this weekend, where he’s leading the UMD Bulldogs into battle at St. Cloud State in a first-round WCHA playoff series. It is best-of-three, and obviously the loser is done for the season. And for Jeff Scissons, that means the end of his college career if UMD fails to upset the Huskies and to push onward to Minneapolis to the Final Five next week.
“This weekend determines our whole year,” said Scissons. “In college hockey, it’s never too late. There is always a team that can surprise a couple of teams, maybe get to the final, and to the NCAA tournament. If we can get things rolling, we’ve proven we can play with any team when we’re playing well.
“What is coming up for us is going to dictate how we remember this year. Either we’ll play well and surprise some teams, and feel good about ourselves, or else we’ll remember ourselves as a team that improved, but still underachieved.”
As a person, Jeff Scissons is quiet, thoughtful, sensitive, and can stockpile enough attributes to sound like the boy scout code. Anyone who knows him knows he is just about too good to be true, the prototype for a gifted athlete and an outstanding person — two things that often seem mutually exclusive in this era. As captain, this has not at all been what Jeff Scissons wanted UMD’s season to be.
“The guys have all been good,” he said. “This is not been a difficult team to be captain of. There have been no internal problems at all. I know we had high expectations as a team, and I had high expectations, to be one of the leading scorers, and to try to lead the team.”
Scissons has done that, of course. A severe groin pull prevented him from starting off the season anything close to 100 percent. In fact, he could only practice one day a week, and then he had to go lightly, and his play was greatly hampered, even though Scissons at 50 percent was worth having in the lineup. He later had a serious bout with the flu that led to what he calls his worst series ever, at Colorado College.
For the season, Scissons went into this weekend’s playoff series with 13 goals, 19 assists and 32 points. That is second only to linemate Colin Anderson’s 18-21–39, and well ahead of third-place Derek Derow’s 10-16–26. Scissons posted 18-19–37 last season, and a season high of 17-24–41 as a sophomore. This year’s totals are very good, considering that his line is the focal point for every opposing team, and that he has persevered despite being less than 100 percent in about one-third of the games.
The second dismal scoring season in a row by the Bulldogs led to an eighth-place finish, after last year’s last-place result, which led to coach Mike Sertich’s decision to step down after this year, which also weighs on Scissons.
“I know Sertie and the staff counted on me offensively, and I didn’t meet their expectations, or mine,” Scissons said. “At times, we raised the level of our play and could play with anybody; the question is, why not every night? As captain, that’s one thing I’ll think about.
“We had that stretch where we lost seven out of eight, and we got blown out so many times that I think it took a toll on some of the younger guys. It’s tough to stay mentally confident in games like that. But you don’t like to see something like that happening, with Sertie stepping down. It was pretty emotional last weekend. Mankato was lucky to get a split from us.
“At St. Cloud, we know they’re big and strong, but we beat them twice at their place earlier in the season. On our little rink, they pounded us. When they beat us 8-0, it was a turning point, and it got us going the wrong direction. They had no trouble with us, and they may anticipate an easy time this weekend.
“But it’s loud, and it’s a big rink. In a best-of-three series, one team wins the first game, and then in the second game one team is playing for its life. I think there’s still time for us. We’ve got the best goalie in the league in Brant Nicklin. And I don’t think I’d like to be a team playing the Bulldogs right now.”
Regardless of how far the Bulldogs can go, Scissons, with his skill, speed and character, has a bright future in pro hockey, where the Vancouver Canucks have his rights. But he’s not even thinking about that. He came to college instead of going to Major Junior as a stepping stone to pro hockey. In fact, he seemed offended when people assumed he might leave college early to sign a pro contract.
“I came here so that I could enjoy hockey while I went to college and got an education so I don’t HAVE to play hockey to pay the bills,” said Scissons, who is majoring in finance, and will graduate this spring, right on schedule for a four-year curriculum.”
He also has another obligation coming at the end of the season. He and junior defenseman Ryan Coole are on the five-person search committee to screen applicants and candidates to become the new UMD hockey coach.
“I’m honored to be part of it,” Scissons said. “I’ve got an idea of what kind of person I’d like to see take over this program, because it means a lot to me. Duluth is a great place, with a unique hockey atmosphere. UMD hockey is the top draw in town, and we’ve gotten over 4,000 fans every game, even though we’ve been in eighth place. I think keys will be the ability to recruit, and to sell the uniqueness of the school and the atmosphere here.
“I’ve had unbelievably great memories from here, from the community and the team and all thepeople I’ve met. I’ve enjoyed my four years here. Wisconsin, Princeton and some others recruited me, but I have absolutely zero regrets coming to UMD. You can’t find better people around a program. Whatever happens, I’d like to come back here someday.”
Four-goal surge sends Broncos past Hutchinson 6-0
International Falls started slowly, but erupted for four second-period goals and romped to a 6-0 victory over Hutchinson in the final quarterfinal of Wednesday’s opening day of the Class A state tournament at Target Center.
The victory sends the Broncos (19-7) will advance to Friday’s semifinals, where they will meet Warroad in a 2:45 p.m. all-Up North battle. Warroad beat International Falls 3-2 in overtime late in the regular season.
Jayme Fisher had the shutout, making 12 saves, and relinquishing the nets to Matt Olson for the final few minutes, when the Broncos defense failed to allow even a single additional shot.
At the start, Brady Fougner shot one off a pipe to set the tone, and the Broncos took a 1-0 lead when Mitch LaVern played Kalen Wagner’s shot off the end boards and scored with a wide-angle shot that glanced in off goaltender Brian Murphy at 3:01.
Hutchinson, however, came back forcefully, making some big bodychecks and getting a few good chances as the period went on. Late in the first session, Falls appeared to score again on a point shot that hit Murphy, bounced up over his shoulder, landed cleanly behind him and trickled across the goal line. The officials waved off the goal, saying the puck was covered by Murphy.
It didn’t matter. In the second period, the Tigers couldn’t keep up the physical play against the quicker Broncos, and the Broncos romped through the Tiger zone to take take over the game.
LaVern scored again, jamming one in at the left edge of the crease at 5:20 of the second. Then Mike Jensen skated up the left side, two minutes later, and had nowhere to go, so he fired the puck from the board side of the left circle, surprising Murphy and going right in for a 3-0 lead.
Less than a minute after that, Critter Nagurski lunged to knock in a rebound of a shot off a left-corner faceoff, and it was 4-0.
The game’s first penalty was called on Hutch at 10:00, and it took just 18 seconds for Chad Baldwin to circle out from the left side and fire a 35-footer back to the upper left corner for a 5-0 lead.
Andy Brown was sent in by coach Todd Grina to replace the beleaguered Murphy, and he held the Broncos scoreless most of the rest of the way. They, of course, were playing without much incentive, with the 5-0 lead.
But Fougner broke up the left side and drilled a perfectly placed shot with 1:12 remaining to make it 6-0 and send the Broncos winging on into Friday’s afternoon semifinals.
Burns, Hoehne lead Greyhounds past Roseau 4-1
[[[Cutline:
1/ East goaltender Dan Hoehne made the save of the game to stop an early breakaway by Roseau’s David Klema (11), as Greyhound defenseman Weston Tardy hustled back to cover Luke Erickson (12) who had started the 2-on-0 rush in the Class AA state tournament opener Thursday at Target Center..
2/ East sophomore Nick Licari had Roseau goalie Jake Brandt beaten, but his shot went off the left pipe, as linemate Zach Burns trailed the rush. East beat the defending champion Rams 4-1 in the first Class AA state tournament quarterfinals.
3/ It may have looked like East’s Trevor Marmon was using Roseau goalie Jake Brand’t pad as a pillow, but there was no time for any rest in the Greyhounds’ 4-1 victory over the defending state champs Thursday. ]]]]]]
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.—If Duluth East is going to win this year’s Class AA state hockey championship, the Greyhounds had to start off by eliminating defending champion Roseau, and they did that Thursday afternoon by weathering almost constant pressure before subduing the Rams 4-1 in the first quarterfinal at Target Center.
The victory sends the Greyhounds (22-4) into tonight’s first semifinal against Edina, which won a 2-1 game in double overtime over Hill-Murray in the second afternoon game. The afternoon session drew 16,783 fans.
Zach Burns scored two goals — the all-important first goal and an empty net clincher — and junior goaltender Dan Hoehne was spectacular in goal, stopping repeated threats by the Rams (19-5-2) and yielding nothing until Ross Miller scored with 1:09 left and East leading 3-0. The Rams constantly tested East’s defense, but they and Hoene were in their best bend-but-don’t-break attitude. While winning their 14th straight game, the Hounds have given up only eight goals in their last 12.
Burns has 16 goals-15 assists for 31 points, but is the unsung member of East’s top line. Ross Carlson, who had three assists in the game, now has 18-22–43, and Nick Licari, who had two assists, has 19-23–42. As the senior center on the line, Burns might be the gear that makes it work, but at 5-foot-6 and 155, he’s planning on going on to play soccer in college, while his linemates are headed for hockey futures.
“Ross and Nick get a lot of attention, and they deserve it,” said Burns. “Ross is one of the best seniors in the state, and, in my opinion, Nick is THE best sophomore in the state. So when they get the attention, it helps me get open.”
That was all the explanation required on the first goal, although it didn’t come until East had weathered some heavy hits and pressure from Roseau. Roseau’s best chance came In the first couple of minutes, when David Klema broke in 2-on-0 and Hoehne stopped him at the crease. “That was an eye-opener,” said Hoehne. “I didn’t expect anything like that, so I was kind of surprised. I went down in the splits, and the guy shot it off my pad.”
Both coaches, Mike Randolph of East and Aaron Broten of Roseau, singled out that play and that save as possibly the key to the game. Had Roseau jumped ahead, it might have been a completely different game. “We wanted to take it to ’em,” said Broten. “We knew they had a lot of young kids who hadn’t been to state, and we thought they might be a little jittery. They haven’t given up many goals, and I knew the first goal meant a lot in this one.”
As it turned out, the pace and playmaking in the game would have made it a perfect final, let alone first-round game. “That was as good a game as we’ve been in all year,” said Broten, whose Rams had lost to East by an identical 4-1 in a January game in Superior. “These guys (East) are going to be tough to beat.”
Near the end of the scoreless first period, Licari almost put East ahead when he made a great rush around the two retreating Ram defensemen, cut across the goal-mouth right-to-left, and pulled the puck back, just out of reach of the diving goaltender, Jake Brandt, but at full speed, his shot went off the left pipe.
The second period started, and East’s big line struck. Carlson, being hooked, fed the puck ahead on the right to Licari, who broke up the boards. Both Roseau defensemen were back, but focused on whether Johnson could get loose for a return pass. Suddenly Burns zipped by the congestion at full speed, Licari hit him with a pass to the slot, and he cut right to score into the left edge of the net at 0:19.
“Burns comes out of nowhere,” said Randolph. “He brings so much energy to our team that it’s always a key.”
The game continued 1-0 until the third period, with the bigger Roseau team smacking the Greyhounds whenever and wherever they could find them. “They’re an excellent hockey team, and I was really worried about them,” said Randolph. “They not only forecheck well, but when they get the puck, they do something with it.”
East’s steady and poised defense had all it could do to contain the Rams, but they did it again. This was East’s 14th straight victory, and in the last 12 of them the Hounds have allowed only eight goals. But it took two unusual plays to break the game decidedly in East’s favor.
At 1:40 of the third period, Randolph sent Carlson out double-shifted, and he got the puck in the right corner circle and fired a hard shot that missed the net but ringed swiftly around the boards and came directly at the left point, where junior Tommy Allen met it with a one-time blast that seemed to catch Brandt by surprise, making it 2-0.
Burns almost made it 3-0, but Brandt stopped his shot, and when Licari came broadsliding into the crease and knocked the puck and all in, then dislodged the cage, the referees seemed puzzled, and finally disallowed the goal for the net being dislodged — even though the puck was clearly in before the net moved.
At 11:51, that became a moot point. Roseau was still coming hard, but East got a key break when Brandt, cited already as the state’s top senior goaltender, went behind the net to clear the puck, but mishandled it just slightly. East’s Trevor Marmon came in hard from the right and swiped the puck. Brandt had to make only three strides to get back to the crease, while Marmon had to circle the net and come out the left side, but Marmon beat him and stuffed his shot in for a 3-0 cushion.
Broten pulled Brandt with 1:30 to go, and Ross Miller ruined Hoehne’s shutout with a screened shot from the right point at 13:51. That closed it to 3-1, and set the stage for a colorful empty-net clincher.
Licari took a heavy hit as he tried to clear up the right boards. Carlson jumped on the puck and flipped a high clearing pass toward the far blue line. It looked like a good shot with a pitching wedge, and it “bit” with backspin as a Roseau defenseman tried to play it. Burns was by him in a flash, chasing down the puck as it slid through the left circle, and snapping a quick backhand that caught the empty net at 14:40.
(cutlines for IF 6-0 quarterfinal state tourney photo…)
[[[Cutline:
International Falls junior Mike Jensen (21) peeled off in hot pursuit of the puck as teammate Tom Biondich followed during the third period of the Broncos 6-0 quarterfinal victory over Hutchinson at the state Class A hockey tournament at Target Center. Hutchinson reserve goaltender Andy Brown was helped by Mitch Bruns (6), Kris Betker (24) and Ben Bruhn (14). ]]]
About the Author
John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
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