Hill-Murray sophomore goalie Jake Begley faced a daunting task: playing road game in a very hostile environment against the Pioneers’ biggest rival, White Bear Lake.

Begley, however, turned out to be the formidable foe, stopping 36 shots to help Hill-Murray defeat White Bear Lake 2-1 in a matchup between Class 2A, Section 4 teams at the Vadnais Sports Center on Saturday.

“He was big for us tonight,” Pioneers coach Bill Lechner said.

Begley had to be on his game right from the start, as a raucous home crowd energized the Bears (15-5-0), ranked No. 11 in the Class 2A coaches poll, in the first period.

Begley was unfazed, turning away shot after shot. He finished with 15 saves in the opening period, including an impressive sliding glove save on Brady Anderson.

Anderson appeared to have a wide-open net, but Begley quickly slid over and robbed the senior of a goal that would have sent the roof off the arena.

“I felt pretty good after that one,” Begley said. “Was in the game after that.”

And No. 4-2A Hill-Murray (15-6-0) needed him to be in the game, especially in the second period as Begley and the Pioneers’ penalty kill until kept White Bear Lake from scoring during a 5-on-3 power play.

Hill-Murray’s penalty kill did not just prevent a goal, the group scored one as well. Midway through the first period, Zach Mills and Marko Reifenberger got loose on a 2-on-1. Mills slipped a pass to Reifenberger who fired a quick wrist shot into the lower left corner for a 1-0 lead.

The Pioneers power play capitalized on a 5-on-3 with less than 4 minutes to play in the first when Jake Wittl buried a shot to make the score 2-0.

“Special teams was a big part of the game tonight,” Lechner said. “We capitalized on our opportunities and scored one on theirs (power play). Ultimately, a lot of it came down to our goalie who played well tonight.”

Begley’s only miscue came with 6:16 left in the third. Mason Fiddle fired a shot from the point that beat Begley, causing the Vadnais Sports Center to erupt.

Re-energized by the play and the crowd, the Bears pressed but could not get another shot by Begley, who had the White Bear Lake student section breathing down his neck for the first and third periods.

“It was fun,” Begley said. “It was loud, but I really had a lot of fun tonight.”

The fun eventually turned into a fight as tempers flared, and one of the state’s biggest rivalries exploded into chaos with 40 seconds to play in the game.

Players threw punches and helmets, gloves and sticks littered the Pioneers’ zone. Begley got into the mix, finding his way into the middle of a few altercations and even landing several punches. 

“If I have to fight, I will do it,” he said. “I like to fight sometimes.”

The Hill-Murray and White Bear Lake rivalry is second to none. The proximately and familiarity between the two programs fuels the competition, one owned by the Pioneers lately.

Hill-Murray is 19-1 and outscored the Bears 73-36 in the last 20 meetings.

The Pioneers and Bears have met in six section finals, with the Pioneers winning five.

White Bear Lake’s last victory over Hill-Murray was a dramatic 5-4 double-overtime game in the Section 4 final on March 4, 2011.

Lechner said the Pioneers’ recent success does not mean much once the teams take the ice.

“It doesn’t matter,” Lechner said. “This is always a great game. Tonight, I think of the 1,000 or 1,200 people that were here, there were at least 800 from White Bear Lake and that is fantastic. We knew we were in for a battle and it didn’t disappoint.”


White Bear Lake forward Tom Giller tries to split the Hill-Murray defense in a 2-1 loss to the Pioneers at the Vadnais Sports Center. Photo by Rick Orndorf

First Report

Sophomore goalie Jake Begley made 36 saves as Hill-Murray defeated rival White Bear Lake 2-1 in a nonconference game at the Vadnais Sports Center in Vadnais Heights on Saturday.

Sophomore forward Marko Reifenberger and senior forward Jake Wittl each scored a first-period goal for the Pioneers (15-6-0), ranked No. 4 in the Class 2A coaches poll.

Junior defenseman Mason Fiddle scored midway through the third period as the No. 11-2A Bears (15-5-0) closed to within 2-1, but Hill-Murray hung on to escape with the win.

Hill-Murray travels to Hastings on Feb. 5, while White Bear Lake is at Park of Cottage Grove on Feb. 3.

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