Twice during the regular season, Wayzata trailed Edina after one period. But both times, the Trojans pulled out a victory.

Saturday's Class 2A, Section 6 semifinal game at Bloomington Ice Garden was no exception, as second-seeded Wayzata rallied from a one-goal deficit in the first period deficit to earn a 5-3 victory over third-seeded Edina.

Dillon Riley finished with a goal and two assists and Amar Batra added a goal and an assist as the Trojans (18-8-1) spread the scoring around Saturday night to record their fourth victory over the Hornets (15-10-2) this season. Three other Wayzata players tallied a goal and eight ended with at least a point on the score sheet.

"We just kept preaching, believing and working on just (winning) the third period," Trojans coach Pat O'Leary said. "We did that, so we were happy with our finish, obviously."

Riley redirected a puck past Edina goalie Charlie deGrood 1 minute, 30 seconds into the third period, giving the Trojans a 4-2 lead. Collin Kubinski added a fifth goal with 2:15 remaining, sealing the win.

Bram Scheerer scored twice for Edina, which was looking to advance to the section finals for the 10th consecutive year. The Hornets made nine straight trips to the Class 2A state tournament, winning titles in 2010, 2013 and 2014. Last year, Edina lost to Duluth East in the state semifinals, ending its shot at a three-peat.

Clayton Phillips also scored and deGrood made 17 saves for the Hornets on Saturday night.

Wayzata sophomore defenseman Grant Anderson said the Trojans try to get pucks deep in the zone and work Edina down low when facing their Lake Conference rival. He also said his team was confident it could come back after the first period and focused on sticking to the game plan.

Just 4:30 into the second period, Wayzata tied the game 1-1 when Batra scored on assists from Riley and Jack Carlson.

Jeff Greeninger the gave the Trojans the lead four minutes later with a breakaway goal, sprung by a Colin Schmidt pass.

After a shot by Anderson, Matt Cossette poked a rebound past deGrood with 3:12 left in the second period as Wayzata extend the lead to 3-1.

Scheerer added the first of his two goals for Edina with 31 seconds remaining in the period, and his second score came with just under two minutes left in the third.

O'Leary credited the leadership of the team's nine seniors for aiding in the win, one that gets the Trojans one step closer to their goal of winning the program's first state title. One more win and Wayzata will advance to the Class 2A state tournament for the first time since 2013.

"When you got 20 guys on the bench going for the same goal, it's easy to not have to have to look around and try and find guys to play," O'Leary said. "That helps you out because you know you can have a lot of energy in the tank for the third (period) and the end of the game."

Wayzata faces fourth-seeded Cretin-Derham Hall in the section championship at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at Mariucci Arena. The Trojans did not play the Raiders during the regular season. Cretin-Derham Hall reached the final with an upset of top-seeded and top-ranked Benilde-St. Margaret's in overtime on Saturday at Bloomington Ice Garden.

"If we just stick to our game plan and stick to what we've been doing, we'll be fine," Anderson said. 


Edina’s Bram Scheerer gets a shot off while sliding towards the goal. Photo by Brian W Nelson - click image for larger

First Report

Wayzata scored three goals in the second period and added two in the third to defeat Edina 5-3 in the Class 2A, Section 6 semifinals on Saturday at Bloomington Ice Garden.

Amar Batra, Jeff Greeninger, Matt Cossette, Dillon Riley and Collin Kubinski recorded goals for the Trojans (18-8-1), who defeated their Lake Conference rival for the fourth time this season.

Bram Scheerer scored twice and Clayton Phillips notched the other goal for the Hornets (15-10-2), who led 1-0 after the first period.

Second-seeded Wayzata faces fourth-seeded Cretin-Derham Hall in the section final at Mariucci Arena on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

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