Of course no one was paying attention to Benilde-St. Margaret’s Zach Risteau in the penalty box late in the third period of Friday’s thrill-filled No. 1-vs.-No. 2 showdown against Eden Prairie.

All eyes were on the Red Knights' Auggie Moore as he streaked in on a breakaway toward Eagles goaltender Shaun Durocher.

As Moore zoomed down the ice, fans at the packed St. Louis Park Rec Center stood in unison.

As for Risteau, he was busy throwing himself against all corners of the penalty box, effectively creating a one-man mosh pit. It’s surprising he didn’t injure himself.

“I was absolutely nuts in the penalty box,” Risteau said after Benilde-St. Margaret’s 6-5 overtime victory. “That was awesome.”

Moore’s goal - he beat Durocher with a deke and shot between the pads - tied the score at 5 with 5 minutes, 34 seconds left in regulation and set the stage for Risteau to one-up his linemate, fellow senior and good buddy.

“When I took that penalty with like 5 minutes left, I thought it could have been over,” Risteau said. “That was a horrible play by me.”

Risteau, who scored a team-best 22 goals in 27 games last year, had scored just three times in six games before Friday and said he felt “snakebit” heading into the extra session.

But when he corralled a loose puck in the slot and took aim through a maze of players, it seemed the most anticipated game of the season so far had reached its conclusion. 

Sure enough, Risteau whipped a hard shot that sailed through the traffic jam in front and into an open corner of the net. The screened Durocher never saw it coming, but Eden Prairie coach Lee Smith sure did.

“They got their best shooter the puck at the right spot at the right time,” Smith said. “The kid, of all the kids on their team, that you don’t want to have shooting is him. And he buried it.”

Risteau’s winning goal came just 1:17 into the extra period and ended a thoroughly entertaining game that included massive momentum swings, heavy hits, incredible saves and high-end players at the top of their games. The Eagles entered with a 4-0-0 record and the No. 1 ranking in the Class 2A coaches' poll. The Red Knights were 6-0-0 and No. 2.

Notre Dame commit Michael Graham, a preseason favorite to win the Mr. Hockey award, scored a goal, and Eden Prairie teammate Casey Mittelstadt, a junior who has committed to Minnesota, had two assists.

Meanwhile, it was Eagles junior Nolan Sullivan who carried most of the scoring load by registering a hat trick.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s led 3-0 early in the second period, only to see Eden Prairie tie it at 3 heading into the third. The Eagles took their only lead, at 5-4, on Sullivan’s hat trick goal with 5:56 remaining.

Moore and Risteau finished it from there.

“How many of games like this do you get a year?” Benilde-St. Margaret’s coach Ken Pauly said. “And when you do, it just shows you how special this thing is. Believe me, we are all trying to find our game and get to (the state tournament in) St. Paul, but when you get three of four nights like this, this is why you play.

“This is why you play.”

Eden Prairie celebrates after tying the game at 3-3 in the second period. Photo by Drew Herron

Eden Prairie celebrates after tying the game 3-3 in the second period. Photo by Drew Herron

First Report

Senior forward Zach Risteau scored a power-play goal 1 minute, 17 seconds into overtime to lift Benilde-St. Margaret’s to a 6-5 victory over visiting Eden Prairie on Friday night at the St. Louis Park Rec Center in a matchup of Class 2A's No. 1- and 2-ranked teams.
 
Unbeaten Benilde-St. Margaret’s (7-0-0) entered the game ranked No. 2 in the state behind Eden Prairie, which dropped to 4-1-0 with the loss.
 
The meeting was the first between the teams since last spring’s Class 2A, Section 6 semifinal matchup that ended in a brawl and left three Eagles players suspended for the section championship game. The teams are in different sections this year, but they meet again on Feb. 6 at the Eden Prairie Community Center.
 
The Red Knights’ Auggie Moore, who led all scorers with five points, forced the overtime period with his shorthanded breakaway goal with 5:34 remaining. His goal came just 22 seconds after Eden Prairie’s Nolan Sullivan gave the Eagles their first lead of the night, at 5-4. 
 

Sullivan also scored twice near the end of the second period to pull Eden Prairie into a 3-3 tie after Benilde-St. Margaret’s had surged to a 3-0 lead.

The Red Knights had a 42-26 advantage in shots on goal and went 2-for-8 on the power play. The Eagles went 2-for-5 on the power play.

Eden Prairie goaltender Shawn Durocher made 36 saves while Benilde-St. Margaret's goalie Ryan Bischel, who entered the night ranked in the top 10 in the state in several major statistical categories, stopped 21 shots.

Eden Prairie junior captain Nolan Sullivan moves the puck past BSM goalie Ryan Bischel to notch the hat trick in the third period. Photo by Drew Herron

Eden Prairie junior captain Nolan Sullivan moves the puck past BSM goalie Ryan Bischel to notch the hat trick in the third period. Photo by Drew Herron

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