Chelsey Brodt steps up, helps Gophers gain split at UMD
The University of Minnesota rose up from being flattened and gained an unlikely split against Minnesota-Duluth in what was a battle of national, as well as WCHA, womenÂ’s hockey titans. Neither team had ever been ranked lower than third in the nation, but beyond league title overtones, the series was all about footsteps, about having big skates to fill, about stepping up to a higher level, and about taking a bold stride forward in a critical situation.
Many of those steps were taken by Minnesota freshman Chelsey Brodt, who scored the clinching goal in the Gophers 4-2 reversal in the second game. But that stride didnÂ’t come until many other footprints had been made at Mars-Lakeview Arena, where the first steps were required to move up the hill. The usual harborside DECC site was housing a boat show, so the series was shifted to Mars-Lakeview Arena on the Marshall High School campus. ItÂ’s a cozy little arena, bright and shiny with good ice, but with only 1,000 seats.
The Gophers had been swept by UMD 4-3 and 6-5 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis on Nov. 30-Dec. 1, and had battled to stay in hot pursuit of the Bulldogs ever since. But Minnesota had suffered a huge loss when Krissy Wendell was knocked out of the lineup the previous weekend. Wendell had centered Natalie Darwitz, and sophomore Kelly Stephens on Minnesota’s top line all season, and Wendell and Darwitz – both freshmen and both U.S. Olympic teammates – were the top two Gopher scorers and the keys to Minnesota’s title hopes.
Wendell scored the winning goal to give Minnesota a 2-1 victory for a sweep over Ohio State, and with only seconds remaining in the game, a Buckeye player knocked Wendell down at center ice and she was knocked out for the rest of the regular season with a broken clavicle. She went out with 26 goals and 27 assists for 53 points, while Darwitz had 26 goals, 28 assists for 54 points through 23 games, leaving the Gophers 15-2-1 in the WCHA and 22-3-1 overall, good for the No. 3 rank in the country.
UMD, however, was 18-1-1 atop the WCHA and 24-2-2, and ranked No. 2 behind only Harvard.
While the Stephens-Wendell-Darwitz line had scored 67 of MinnesotaÂ’s 127 total goals for the season, replacing Wendell on the line was no small matter. Coach Laura Halldorson pulled freshman Chelsey Brodt up from defense and put her at right wing, shifting Darwitz to center. Minnesota hockey fans recognize Darwitz as perhaps the most explosive center in girls high school hockey history from her days at Eagan, but Brodt had always followed in the footsteps of her sister, Winny Brodt, a senior on the Gopher squad.
The difference is that Winny Brodt has scored 11-18—29, while her little sister had 0-4—4. Putting her 0-4—4 stats up with Darwitz (26-28—54) and Stephens (15-12—27) made the line look a little lopsided, but Chelsey made the best of it.
“I had never played forward, and I didnÂ’t know how IÂ’d do,†said Chelsey Brodt. “Especially playing with Darwitz and Stephens and their speed.Ââ€
The experiment appeared a small matter when Minnesota-Duluth came out flying and hammered the Gophers 7-1 in the stunning first game. Hanne Sikio, Larissa Luther, Maria Rooth and Krista McArthur scored for a 4-0 first-period lead, and Halldorson pulled goaltender Jody Horak for Brenda ReinenÂ’s relief. Darwitz scored her 27th goal just 10 seconds into the second period, and the Gophers held at 4-1 until late in the middle period, when Rooth and Erika Holst scored for a 6-1 cushion, and Nora Tallus completed the romp in the third.
That victory moved UMD forcefully to within Saturday nightÂ’s game of clinching the WCHA title. And the lopsided nature of the score made things look bleak for the Gophers in the rematch.
First, there was the matter of the goaltending. Halldorson said she had a brief conversation with Horak, her sophomore ace who had clearly been off her game – 1.72 goals-against and .928 save percentage – when she allowed four goals on 16 shots in one period of the Friday game. Horak wanted to get back in there, and Halldorson sent her to the net. It was a far different first period, although Erika Holst’s 28th goal, on a power play, staked UMD to a 1-0 lead with three minutes left in the opening session.
While UMD kept attacking, while also defusing the Darwitz line, Minnesota’s supporting cast stepped up. Allie Sanchez scored her sixth goal of the season with a backhander at 4:35 of the second period, and Winny Brodt rushed up the left side from defense and fired her 12th goal of the season past Patricia Sautter at 13:50 to give Minnesota a 2-1 lead – its first lead of the weekend. Hanne Sikio, however, tied it 2-2 with her 19th goal before the period ended.
The third period was a matter of survival. Kelsey Bills was penalized for cross-checking, but Horak and the Gophers withstood UMDÂ’s 30-percent power play. Bills, a junior from Alberta who grew up playing on boys teams, came out of the penalty box and moments later raced up the right side, turned the corner beyond the defense, and cut to the net, where she scored at 7:01 to break the 2-2 tie.
Exactly 1:38 later, the spotlight turned directly onto Chelsey Brodt, unlikely though that seemed. She had spent most of the two games skating hard and hoping she wouldnÂ’t look out of place with her more-accomplished linemates. And when her big opportunity came, it first appeared she might have blown it.
Brodt carried the puck up the right side, with a step on the defense. As she rushed, she saw an opening as she got to the faceoff circle, and she pulled the trigger. Instead of sailing into the mesh, as might have happened in a normal Cinderella story, BrodtÂ’s shot flew over the net, high and wide by a couple of feet over the crossbar.
“She looked like me on that one,†laughed her sister, Winny Brodt. “IÂ’m the one theyÂ’re always accusing of shooting high.Ââ€
Nobody accuses Chelsey of shooting AT ALL, but after her shot missed, and the puck zipped around the boards in the right corner, Chelsey Brodt alertly went to the front of the UMD net. Darwitz had sped in and gathered up the puck, then curled off the boards, looking for an opening as she crossed the slot, 40 feet out. Darwitz shot and the puck wound up behind Sautter at 8:39, giving the Gophers a 4-2 cushion. But the Gophers didn’t all rush to Darwitz for their congratulations – they went to Chelsey Brodt. Sure enough, she had deflected the puck in.
“My first goal!†Chelsey gushed. “And in my first series up front. All I did was go in front, and I had my stick down. The puck went right off the blade of my stick. Last night, we didnÂ’t play that bad but things didnÂ’t bounce our way. Tonight they did, and this was exciting, especially against Duluth.Ââ€
The Bulldogs intensified their attack through the final 10 minutes, but Horak came up with 13 saves for 33 in the game, many of them while surrounded by all five UMD attackers at close range. When it was over, the Gophers celebrated, then they all skated over to the corner and celebrated again, high-fiving through the glass to a smiling young woman wearing street clothes. It was Krissy Wendell.
The loss of her presence was pivotal for Minnesota, but the Gophers came back to forestall UMDÂ’s championship celebration by a week, at least. The Gopher comeback came because other players stepped up, Chelsey Brodt filled some big skates as a forward, and the Gophers took a major stride after three straight losses to UMD to maintain the No. 3 national rank, and to reinforce their hopes should the teams meet again, in the WCHA playoffs, or possibly in the NCAA Frozen Four.
Cayenne adds SUV spice to Porsche’s sports car heritage
BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — Porsche. The name is magic, whether you pronounce it “PORSH,†like the sound of air rushing out of a confined area, or the more correct “POR-sha,†in the best two-syllable German tradition, the name connotes high-speed sports cars, built in limited numbers, at steep prices, but with uncompromising racing heritage radiating from every square inch.
So, Porsche is going to make an SUV, eh?
The reaction ranged from shock, dismay and consternation throughout the automotive world when the idea was first suggested. What could possibly motivate Porsche to build a sport-utility vehicle? IsnÂ’t that the ultimate compromise?
After assorted engineers and technicians explained the many facets of the new Porsche Cayenne, Tim Mahoney addressed the automotive journalists assembled in Birmingham, Ala., for the new vehicle’s introduction, and beat the media to the punch by asking himself those same questions. His answer was refreshingly simple: “To make money,†he said.
“We proudly refer to ourself as the smallest manufacturer making cars for the whole world, but sports cars reflect the ups and downs of the economy more than any other cars. SUVs have a much larger cross-section of the demand curve, and making an SUV gives us more stability and assures our independence. You will see, also, that the Cayenne is authentic, and stays within PorscheÂ’s heritage.Ââ€
While the Boxster gives Porsche a reasonably priced sports car, the Stuttgart, Germany, company is best known for the 911 – the venerable Carrera sports cars that have dominated world endurance and road racing and directly translate that heritage to the street. It is easy to pay over $75,000 for a Carrera, and well over $100,000 for the turbocharged versions. So it is no surprise that the Cayenne is going to cost a lot. But it’s still a jolt to see the sticker prices: The Cayenne S starts at $55,900, although some of the Cayenne S models we test-drove had a few impressive options that boosted their price tags up over $70,000. The Cayenne Turbo starts at $88,900.
Porsche doesnÂ’t want to make a mainstream, high-volume vehicle, and intends to continue to build limited-edition specialty vehicles. The companyÂ’s market research says that the average Cayenne buyer will be 46 years old, will be 88 percent male, with 82 percent married, and 50 percent having kids under 18. When Porsche-lovers (arenÂ’t we all?) and Porsche-owners get to the point where they are married with a couple of kids, itÂ’s either time to get rid of the Porsche, or add a second vehicle to service the family. When somebody needs a four-door vehicle, or an SUV, obviously the choice is something other than a Porsche. Until now.
“We found that 40 percent of Porsche owners also have SUVs,†Mahoney added. “And the top three reasons they bought SUVs were design, handling and performance. Now Porsche owners wonÂ’t have to go elsewhere to buy an SUV. We expect in the next two or three years to doyuble out overall volume, although we have capacity constraints. We anticipate selling 23,000 total vehicles in the first year, and weÂ’re aiming for 45,000 in the next two to three years.Ââ€
The urge to buy SUVs is for all-season handling, and the perceived security of a strong structure, even though well over 90 percent of SUV buyers never venture off the road to take advantage of a true SUVÂ’s capabilities. Porsche could have sold a million Cayennes if it offered a strictly on-road version of the vehicle, but there was no chance of that. Porsche, being Porsche, made this one stand alone in capabilities both on and off the road.
At the introduction this past week for waves of journalists, we were able to drive both the Cayenne S and the Cayenne Turbo through their paces. First we hit the highways and freeways leading away from Birmingham, and later we went to Barber Motorsports Park, where we were able to take part in the Porsche Driving Experience, over both a rugged off-road course and a tight and tricky new road-racing course. We had professional race drivers like Hurley Haywood, Doc Bundy and David Donohue (son of the late Mark Donohue) showing us the intricacies of the vehicles and how to best extract the virtues in all circumstances.
Porsche anticipates that 80 percent of Cayenne buyers will choose the “S†model, which starts with an all-new 4.5-liter V8 engine delivering 340 horsepower and 310 foot-pounds of torque. The Cayenne Turbo has twin turbochargers on the same engine, with electronic management extracting 450 horsepower at 6,000 RPMs and 457 foot-pounds of torque from 2,250 RPMs on up to 4,750 revs. The new engine shares much of the internal dimensions, such as cylinder bore, with the Boxster six-cylinder, and borrows liberally from the 911 Turbo for cylinder head and temperature-proof alloy construction.
Both versions come only with four-wheel drive, and with the Porsche Tiptronic six-speed automatic transmission. The PTM (Porsche Traction Management) four-wheel drive system sends 62 percent of the carÂ’s power to the rear and 38 percent to the front under normal conditions, but can transfer any or all of the power to the axle with better traction any time any spinning is detected. It will tow 7,716 pounds, and tow it quite swiftly, I must add. Air suspension has six heights that are both adjustable and self-adjustable for rough conditions, and the Tiptronic allows clutchless manual shifting. Off the road, electronic switches can set a reduced-ratio off-road gear, and another flip of the switch can eliminate the center differential and lock in both the front and rear axles for equal duty.
Porsche Stability Management (PSM) coordinates the traction control, antilock brakes and the vehicleÂ’s direction to help keep it running straight, on road and off. The air-suspension settings can raise the CayenneÂ’s ground clearance 4.56 inches to a maximum of 10.75, which drops back down at speeds over 20 mph, just as the lowest-level setting drops to extra-low whenever speed exceeds 130 mph. (!) Other of the six settings can be set for standard ride height, or somewhat hiter for rougher roads and up to 50 mph.
Both a hill-holding feature in the transmission for going up steep hills and a low-range setting that uses engine braking to keep you under control when going down steep banks.
The Cayenne is structured out of high-strength steel, with reinforcement of boron steel in the pillars to make the occupant compartment secure, and the assortment of air bags and side curtains enhance the safety aspect. Huge brakes also meet PorscheÂ’s rigid demands.
Amid all the uproar over Porsche building an SUV, forgotten is the fact that the Cayenne also is PorscheÂ’s first four-door vehicle. There is no pretense about a third-row seat, but it has good seat room for five, and excellent space for four occupants. The interior is classy and tasteful, with leather and either real wood or brushed alloy trim.
The beauty, of course, is in the driving. On the freeway, the Cayenne is swift and secure, perfectly poised on its suspension and never feeling like a truck, or anything except a slightly taller Porsche. With the suspension set in comfort mode, it remains stable and precise; in normal mode, it’s a bit firmer; in sports mode, it is definitely stiffer – almost performance stiff, which many drivers might find too harsh on frost-heaved bumps or potholes.
On the off-road course, the Cayenne was truly impressive. Over rugged terrain where one or even two wheels were off the ground, staying steadily on the power required only a bit of patience to allow the electronic systems to reassign the power and give the Cayenne the guidance to pull itself out of trouble. Over large rocks, steep inclines, foot-deep muddy ruts on a course carved through the Alabama trees on the Barber Motorsports grounds, the Cayenne never flinched or hesitated. I was driving the first Cayenne behind off-road expert Jay Tischler, and after watching him have great difficulty climbing a steep and muddy hill, I got a bit of momentum up, listened to Hurley HaywoodÂ’s urging to stay consistent on the gas, and we went straight up the same hill in the same ruts.
On the race track, Haywood’s 24-Hours of LeMans experience and suggested lines around the twisty turns made the Cayenne behave absolutely with Porsche-like precision. Haywood, who has successfully raced virtually every Porsche in existence, said that he was totally impressed with what Porsche had done to make the Cayenne a true Porsche – not only on the road, and off the road, but on a race track as well.
Despite weighing 5,000 pounds (4,949 for the S, and 5,192 for the Turbo), all that power sends the Cayenne to eye-popping speeds. The Cayenne S goes 0-60 in 7.1 seconds and hits a top speed of 150; the Cayenne Turbo does 0-60 in 5.5 seconds and hits a top speed of 165.
Those numbers are dazzling if weÂ’re talking about a Carrera, but weÂ’re talking about an SUV here, complete with fold-down rear seat that expands cargo capacity from 19 cubic feet to over 62 cubic feet, and with a unique Bose surround-sound audio system with 350 watts and 14 speakers, and, functional cupholders that may even work going up a 45-degree hill off-road.
Just as Porsche sports cars go above and beyond the norm in engineering and performance, that may be where the new Cayenne best traces Porsche heritage, because it exceeds every expectation, wherever you can drive.
(John Gilbert writes a weekly automotive column. He can be reached by e-mail at: jgilbert@duluth.com.)
Anoka rallies to beat Duluth East in AA puck quarterfinals
SAINT PAUL, MN. — Respect and admiration for their opponent, a good memory, and a goal by a sprawling Ben Hendrick with 18 seconds remaining gave the Anoka Tornadoes a 4-3 victory over Duluth East before 16,714 fans at Xcel Energy Center Thursday afternoon in the opening round of the boys Class AA state hockey tournament.
The victory puts Anoka up against defending champion Holy Angels in SaturdayÂ’s late semifinal. Holy Angels whipped Moorhead 5-2 in the opening game of the quarterfinals.
AnokaÂ’s collective memory was from January 11, when Anoka (23-4-1) lost for the third of only four times this season. It was in Duluth, and East stormed back from a 3-1 deficit to outshoot the Tornadoes 31-11, tying the game 3-3 with 2.4 seconds left, and then beating Anoka 4-3 in overtime.
“This wasnÂ’t really revenge, but we knew what to expect,†said Hendrick, a senior whose critical game-winner was his 27th goal of the season. “When we were down 3-2 after two periods, all the coaches really talked about was how the third period has been our best all season, when weÂ’ve scored the most.Ââ€
Junior Andrew Johnson scored the tying goal at 5:44, skating up the slot to take a neat drop pass from Zach Nelson, then firing high into the left corner of the net over goaltender Jake Maida.
After that, EastÂ’s Greyhounds were on their heels as Anoka outshot them 11-4, but the game seemed to be broiling along toward overtime during the final minute of the third period. An East defenseman circled back into his own end and flipped the puck up the left boards, but it slid all the way down to the Anoka end for icing. With the faceoff in the right corner of EastÂ’s zone, Hendrick nudged the puck forward, tried to step through but fell to the ice, swatting at the puck as he landed.
“I pushed it through their centerÂ’s legs,†said Hendrick. “He got a piece of my leg and I was on my knees. As I went down, I chopped at the puck and it hit the goalie and went through his legs.Ââ€
The goal came with 17.1 seconds remaining, which registers officially as 18 seconds. Whatever, it tolled the end of an 11-2 surge that had carried East (14-11-4) to the Section 7AA title, and the momentum to take control of the game after two highly entertaining periods.
East struck first, when John Jacques blasted a shot from the right point that Rob Johnson tipped ever so slightly to beat goalie Kyle Olstad for a power-play goal at 6:00. Craig Chapman tied it for Anoka at the right edge of the crease, redirecting a perfect power-play pass from Hendrick, who had rushed in from the left side before zipping his pass to Chapman.
Sean Fish put Anoka ahead 2-1 with a goal at 5:38 of the second period with an opportunistic goal after Maida had uncharacteristically wandered out of his net. The usually cautious junior netminder went back to play the puck, then wound up misfiring on it when he tried to ring the boards through the left corner. Andy LaHoud picked it off and alertly sent a soft pass across in front of the goal, and Fish closed in to deposit it in the unguarded net.
The Greyhounds bounced back immediately, and Andy Sternberg snapped a 35-footer past Olstad at 5:59 – regaining the tie at 2-2 after just 21 seconds.
When Derek Johnson was penalized for Anoka, the Greyhound power play clicked as Rob Johnson deflected in his second goal of the game, this time after a Chris Johnson shot at 7:34. The 3-2 lead looked impressive, particularly when East outshot Anoka 18-10 through the first two periods. But the Tornadoes recalled the game at Duluth, and the coaches were well aware of their inability to beat East in their annual rivalry.
“We havenÂ’t beaten those guys since 1986,†said Anoka assistant coach Rick Wesp. “And when we lost to them in Duluth this year, they really took it to us. Mike Randolph is one of the best coaches in the state, so we knew theyÂ’d come with their ‘AÂ’ game.Ââ€
Randolph was philosophical afterward. “We had a couple of breakdowns,†he said. “We were in pretty good position in the third period, up by one. But we just did not finish the game. Their big-time players stepped up at a big time.Ââ€
Eden Prairie hangs on for first-ever state tournament victory
SAINT PAUL, MN. — As long as its been a season for eliminating unflattering stereotypes, Eden Prairie wiped out the most nagging accusation Thursday by beating Lakeville 3-2 in the first round of the boys Class AA hockey tournament at Xcel Center.
True, 3-2 isnÂ’t exactly a show of domination, but it was enough to vault the Eagles (22-3-3) into the semifinals, where they have never ventured.
“Eden Prairie has been here four times, and IÂ’ve been with ‘em for three of those,†said coach Lee Smith. “This was our first win in the state tournament.Ââ€
Now, that doesnÂ’t count the odd consolation game, but the Eagles, with an emerging powerhouse program, had never won a first-round game, and therefore never advanced beyond one-and-done status.
“WeÂ’ve heard it all, though,†Smith added. “These guys had been told we couldnÂ’t get by Edina in Section 6, but we did it.Ââ€
They did it by blitzing top-seeded Edina 6-0 in the section final, but once in the state field, the challenge was larger.
And they blitzed Lakeville, too, but it didn’t show on the scoreboard. In fact, the Panthers almost succeeded in prep hockey’s version of “rope-a-dope,†falling behind 2-0, then 3-0, then somehow finding a way to stay in proximity of upsetting Eden Prairie – without shooting, difficult as that may seem.
Aaron WeberÂ’s goal at 11:36 of the second period gave Lakeville life, and Adam Davis scored a power-play goal at 3:36 of the third to make it 3-2, and even though the Panthers wound up with only 11 shots on goal for the game, to Eden PrairieÂ’s 26, Lakeville was always just one turnover away from the equalizer.
Ryan Hawkins admitted to some relief after the game, but mostly for the sake of the program.
“For our program, itÂ’s the biggest thing ever done,†said Hawkins. “ItÂ’s great for our program, our coaches and the guys. Nick Peters, Chris Berg and I are all seniors who were on the 2000 state tournament team as sophomores. We played Greenway in the first game, and we were ahead, but they scored with two seconds left, and beat us in overtime. ThatÂ’s all I could think of, when this game got down to the last few minutes. We donÂ’t usually let that sort of thing bother us.Ââ€
Hawkins helped see to it that the Eagles would get off to a strong start, but he gave credit to Dave Watters. “Twenty-two is the big-gamer on our team, and when he came out and buried his first shot, we knew we were going to be OK,†said Hawkins.
Watters scored on a game-opening rush, knocking in a rebound at the left edge at 0:53. At 5:00, Brady Miller got the puck in the left corner and found Hawkins in the slot. Hawkins shot quickly and put the puck in off the right post for a 2-0 start.
“Brady saw me after he was mucking it out in the corner,†said Hawkins. “I donÂ’t even know where it went, I just tried to get it off quick.Ââ€
Lakeville, outshot 12-3 in the first period, was outshot 8-4 in the second, but goaltender Brandon OÂ’Brien held the Panthers in the game. It didnÂ’t seem to be enough, though, when Nate Hanson scored on a rebound at 10:07 of the second session.
But a minute and a half later, LakevilleÂ’s Weber scored from the slot, and it was 3-1. The third period opened with successive penalties to Eden PrairieÂ’s Chris Berenguer at 1:12 and Joe Beck at 2:02, leaving the Eagles two men short for 1:10, and Lakeville on an extended power play with the overlap.
Davis came through with his power-play goal at 3:36, the Panthers were within striking distance.
“We had to kill the 5-on-3,†Smith said. “Then when we got one guy back, we iced the puck and the ref blew his whistle. We were shorthanded, so it should have been OK, and when they realized that, they faced off at center ice, instead of the puck being down at their end. ThatÂ’s when they scored.Ââ€
But no amount of odd calls or close calls could matter. Eden Prairie is now 11-0-1 in its stretch run, and, biggest of all, the Eagles have won a game that mattered at the state tournament. “I really think this will put us over a big hurdle,†said Hawkins.
Simley ‘rope-a-dope’ entraps Rochester Lourdes in A semis
SAINT PAUL, MN. — Simley will be given almost no chance to upset powerful, No. 1 ranked Warroad in the Minnesota state high school Class A hockey championship game, but the case could also be made that the SpartansÂ’ upset status might mean they are right where they want to be for their Saturday high noon appointment in the title game at Xcel Energy Center.
If it werenÂ’t so ironic, you could say that Simley (18-10-1) already has proved that lightning can strike twice in the state high school hockey tournament. The irony is that Simley, from Inver Grove Heights, is not particularly quick, and is the opposite of a fearsome offensive power. Instead, they seem to prefer a rope-a-dope style of containing powerful opponents with a stubborn defense and the goaltending of Troy Davenport, and hanging around just close enough to steal a victory. Or, victories.
Otherwise, the cliché fits. Simley upset Rochester Lourdes 3-2 Friday, on a goal by Adam Hoaglund at 8:00 of the second sudden-death overtime, to gain Saturday’s Class A championship game against powerful Warroad. Close followers of the Class A segment of the tournament can be forgiven if they are consumed by a feeling of déjàvu about that result.
In Wednesday’s opening round, Simley was given little chance against St. Louis Park, but despite being outshot 30-16, Simley held on and then upset the Orioles 2-1 on an overtime goal by – guess who? – Adam Hoagland.
So in FridayÂ’s semifinal, Simley was given even less chance against Rochester Lourdes, but the Spartans, and Hoaglund, did it again.
Lourdes (22-3-3) jumped ahead when John Brunkhorst scored at 12:12 of the first period, but Simley struck back when Mike Bailey countered at 14:29.
In the second period, Bailey scored again, and the Spartans had a 2-1 lead at 5:58.
Lourdes responded with a determined increase in pressure through the third period, outshooting Simley 9-4, but it took until the final minute, with a six-man attack that the Eagles were able to notch the equalizer. Jamie Ruff got the goal, with 29 seconds remaining, to force overtime.
Lourdes dominated the first overtime, outshooting the Spartans 11-1, but with no success in puncturing DavenportÂ’s stout goaltending. After the first extra session, which was for eight minutes, the teams lined up for a 15-minute session, and halfway through, Adam Hoaglund got free in the slot for an instant, and put his shot past Ben Alker to give Simley its 2-1 victory despite being outshot 32-24.
So, after having no little chance against St. Louis Park, and almost no chance against Rochester Lourdes, Simley is in the championship game with – allegedly – no chance against Warroad.
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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