In a common duel of breakneck speed versus hard-nosed physicality, neither camp proved itself the victor as two of Class 1A's top teams in Breck and Mahtomedi tied 4-4 Tuesday night at the St. Croix Valley Recreation Center.
“We worked really hard,” Breck coach Les Larson said. “We played tough on the road. We don’t like to tie, but we’re happy with the effort.”
“Both sides had the opportunity to push back and they did. Exciting hockey game, but we have some things we need to work on,” Mahtomedi coach Jeff Poeschl said.
Despite both teams' dissatisfaction with the stalemate, each took away plenty from a late-season primer before section playoffs.
Ranked No. 5 in the Class A Let’s Play Hockey Poll, the Zephyrs (14-6-3) didn't trail until five minutes left in the third period, when Mustangs senior and Mr. Hockey finalist Chase Ellingson notched his third goal of the game.
The goal came on the power play and as Tim Kuivinen exited the penalty box, words were exchanged with the officials that sent him right back to his seat in the sin bin.
“(Kuivinen) deserved a penalty,” Poeschl said. “It puts our team in a bad spot but his teammates picked him up.”
Mahtomedi killed the penalty and called a timeout with under three minutes to play.
In the huddle, Poeschl chalked up a play for his team for the faceoff in the Mustangs’ zone, and the Zephyrs executed, winning the draw back to senior Jake Anderson, who rocketed a shot bar down past Breck goaltender Linden Olness.
“We were hoping we won the faceoff and it was the exact play we wanted,” Anderson said of his second and game-tying goal.
Anderson is a member of a 16-man senior class that won the Bantam A state championship in 2013 and took third in last year’s Class 1A state tournament.
“We’ve had fun throughout the years playing with the same group of guys,” Anderson said.
The Zephyrs were ousted by two-time defending Class 1A champion East Grand Forks in the semifinals in a game that was one of the most physical contests in recent history at the Xcel Energy Center.
“It’s certainly something that is very in-your-face,” Poeschl said regarding the physical style of play northern teams embrace. “It’s been more of a mentality of not backing down and willing to play that physical style.”
Mahtomedi has learned from the defeat and grown accustomed to the grinding stone as it boasts one of the state's toughest Class 1A schedules.
Leading up to Tuesday’s tie, the Zephyrs took No. 11-2A Hill-Murray and No. 15-2A St. Thomas to overtime, each ending in a tie.
“We’ve had three tough ties in the last week,” Poeschl said. “We just need to find that little extra something to get us on top.
With two games left in the regular season, the Zephyrs have yet to cave in overtime. But they need to capitalize in the postseason to make another run to St. Paul, while acknowledging the ground they’ve gained by ending the Mustangs’ 10-game win streak.
“It’s definitely some good practice for high-pressure situations in the future,” Anderson said.