Hill-Murray Pioneer Hockey: Game 2010-03-11

First Period
DE, Trevor Olson, 3:06 (pp).
DE, Nate Repensky (Hunter Bergerson, Zac Schendel), 7:15.
HM, Andy Faust (Bob Bruski), 16:01.
HM, Ben Bahe (Kevin Becker, Kevin Schulze), 16:10.
DE, Dom Toninato (Kevin Brazerol, Nate Repensky), 16:44.

Second Period
HM, Willie Faust (Ben Bahe, Chris Casto), 0:18.
HM, Zach LaValle (David Bruchu), 0:56.

Third Period
HM, Jack Walsh (Zach LaValle), 6:29.

Shots by period
Hill-Murray	4	9	3	-	16
Duluth East	10	5	8	-	23

Goalies Minutes GA Saves Result
HM - Tim Shaughnessy 51 3 20 W
DE - Joseph Jeanetta 50 5 11 L

Power Plays Goals Attempts Time
Hill-Murray 0 2 4:00
Duluth East 1 4 4:35

Duluth East probably would take a mulligan on two minutes of the state quarterfinal. Hill-Murray knows they need to be stronger the other 49 minutes to have any chance of beating the state's number one team tomorrow.

The Pioneers scored twice in the last minute of the first period and twice again in the first minute of the second. That turned a 2-0 deficit into a 4-3 lead, and Jack Walsh finished the scoring with an insurance goal in the third.

Hill-Murray won most of their 25 wins with an efficient defense and lots of offensive zone time, but had neither in the first period. For the fourth time this season, they allowed three goals in a period. Two of the previous three were in their two losses, plus an 11-3 win against Richfield.

A mishandle in the neutral zone while shorthanded gave Trevor Olson a breakaway and a power play goal at 3:06. To add insult, the shot knocked the cap off the goalie's water bottle causing it to spill behind the net. East's second goal came on a delayed penalty, a deflection of a long shot that went in just under the crossbar.

Tim Shaughnessy actually had a decent period despite the three goals. The junior goalie stopped a breakaway off an ill-advised blue line pass, with some help from a hook that put Hill-Murray shorthanded for the third time in the period.

The scoring frenzy started with a minute left and it was Hill-Murray's fourth line that provided a much needed offensive spark. Bob Bruski pounced on a loose puck and fed Andy Faust for a wrist shot that went in on the short side. Right off the ensuing center-ice faceoff, Kevin Becker controlled the puck and set up Ben Bahe alone in the slot for a 2-2 tie heading into intermission.

Or so it seemed. Duluth's Dom Tominato broke in on the right wing and lifted a perfect backhand just under the crossbar with just 16 seconds remaining.

The lead lasted 20 minutes or so in real time but much less in game time. 18 seconds into the second, Bahe's cross-ice pass found Willie Faust uncovered on the left wing. Faust broke in alone and wristed a shot into the upper left corner. Hill-Murray assumed their first lead 38 seconds later as David Bruchu won a faceoff directly to Zach LaValle for a tap-in goal.

Hounds goalie Joseph Jeanetta to that point had surrended four goals on six shots, but his save midway through the game might end up as the tournament's best. Loren French fed Ryan Holler on a 2-on-1, and with the goalie sprawled on his back, Holler's backhand appeared headed for an open net, until Jeanetta threw his glove above his head and somehow snagged the puck.

At 6:29 of the third, LaValle made a nice move to the net, drew a defender, and left the puck at the top of the crease for a tap-in goal by Walsh and a 5-3 lead.

Shaughnessy was rock solid in the last two periods and punctuated a series of saves in the third by somehow getting a piece of another deflection. That wasn't the end of the play, however, as the puck was swept off the goal line and play stopped as players from both teams wrestled around the crease.

With only 16 shots, Hill-Murray's 26th win of the 2010 season was certainly not as elegant as most of the other 25. But it puts them two wins from a state title, a position envied by all but four teams now.