Cretin-Derham Hall wrapped up the 2017 portion of its schedule with fiery determination Thursday evening at Ridder Arena as the Raiders started hot and continued to stoke the flames, burning past Minneapolis to capture the Silver Division crown of this year’s Schwan’s Cup.

The Raiders, ranked No. 9 in the Class 2A coaches’ poll, led by three goals after one period, and eight after two before dispatching Minneapolis via 9-2 final.

“We started with a lot of energy, and it carried us throughout the game,” Raiders’ junior defenseman Danny Magnuson says. “We played really well as a team.”

Magnuson finished with five points (one goal and four assists), while 10 different skaters recorded a point for Cretin-Derham Hall (8-2-1, 3-0-0) in the victory.

From the onset, the Raiders played an effective puck control game that left Minneapolis chasing, and spinning its wheels. Minneapolis, fresh off an upset of Class 1A’s top-ranked Mahtomedi in the semifinals less than 24 hours earlier, enjoyed very little of the luck or bounces that went their way against the Zephyrs, and CDH did not let up.

Raiders’ leading scorer Matt Gleason opened the scoring at 4:34 of the first period with a power-play goal, and quickly Cretin-Derham Hall was on its way. 

Cretin-Derham Hall patiently moved the puck through open passing lanes and worked its way from outside in, and from low to high.

“We moved the puck well, found openings, and played unselfishly,” Raiders’ coach Jim O’Neill said.  “And our power play was very good when it needed to be. I think that really made the difference tonight.”

The Raiders converted on four of the seven power plays they were given, with three of them coming in the second period. With more than a six-goal lead, the third period was played with a running clock.

“When we play fast and move the puck like we did (tonight), I don’t think there are very many teams that are better than us,” Magnuson said.

The win is the Raiders’ fourth straight since falling to then top-ranked Edina 5-2 on Dec. 19. Their body of work includes four wins over teams ranked in the 2A poll, and two ranked in 1A.

As Cretin-Derham Hall looks to carve out its identity with a team loaded with experienced players from last year’s team that went 19-8, expectations are high for a team that’s counted on to compete in the ultra-competitive Class 2A, Section 6 that features Edina and Wayzata, the two teams to have beaten the Raiders already this season.

Time will tell how Cretin-Derham Hall stacks up down the road, but this is a good first step, says O’Neill.

“We’ve played some good teams, so I think we have an idea of where we belong, and where we need to go,” O’Neill said. “We’re hoping to be there in the end, but there is still a long way to go.”

Cretin-Derham Hall soundly defeated Minneapolis 9-2 Thursday evening at Ridder Arena to capture the Silver Division championship of this year’s Schwan’s Cup.

Raiders’ leading scorer Matt Gleason opened the scoring at 4:34 of the first period with a power-play goal, and quickly Cretin-Derham Hall (8-2-1, 3-0-0) was on its way. The Raiders, ranked No. 9 in the Class 2A coaches’ poll, led by three goals after the first period and seven after two.

Senior captain Danny Magnuson finished with a goal and four assists for the Raiders, while Joe Buckingham (two goals and an assist), Joey Gimberlin (one goal and two assists) and Nick Davison (three assists) helped lead the charge with multipoint efforts. In all, 10 different players recorded at least one point for the Raiders.

Minneapolis (8-6-0, 0-1-0) had a pair of goals from senior captain Jacob Erickson, who netted two on the power play.

In net, junior goalie George McGuire earned the win for Cretin-Derham Hall, stopping 14 shots. At the other end, No. 14-1A Minneapolis goalie Thomas Walsh took the loss, allowing 8 goals on 41 shots before leaving in the final minutes with injury.

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