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.
Players battle over the puck as Breck's Evan Beniek (16) battled against Mahtomedi's Tommy Strelow (14) and Matt Vannelli (15). The game ended in a 4 to 4 tie in overtime at the St. Croix Recreation Center in Stillwater, MN. Photo by Chris Juhn

Breck's Evan Beniek (16) battles against Mahtomedi's Tommy Strelow (14) and Matt Vannelli (15) during Tuesday night's game in Stillwater. Photo by Chris Juhn

Shorthanded Breck refuses to leave empty-handed

 

Breck's depth was put to the test with second-liners Austin Heidemann and Mitch Machlitt missing the game due to injury and illness, but the Mustangs replied quickly every time Mahtomedi took a lead throughout the game.
 
“I think it helped us a lot fighting through the adversity of missing a couple guys,” Ellingson said.
 
Ellingson’s final goal seemed to be the dagger, as the Mustangs had another two minutes on the power play to drain out the clock. But losing that crucial faceoff on Anderson’s goal displayed the back-and-forth nature of the game.
 
“I think it could have been a big goal, but we fell apart at the end there,” Ellingson said.
 
Despite the end of the Mustangs' winning streak, Larson was proud of his team for fighting through the adversity.
 
“There’s gonna be a lot of these games where someone’s gotta step up," Larson said. "Neither team stepped up (tonight), but it was a hell of a game."
 
But come playoffs, both teams will have to find that extra ounce of energy to advance further in an all-or-nothing scenario.
 
“Everybody’s playing for their life and that’s what makes it so exciting,” Larson said.

Breck goalie Linden Olness (31) surveys the scramble in front of him during Tuesday night's top-five tilt. Photo by Chris Juhn.

First Report

Mahtomedi senior Jake Anderson netted his second goal of the game with under three minutes left in the third period to force overtime and an eventual 4-4 tie with Breck Tuesday night at St. Croix Recreation Center.
 
The Zephyrs (14-6-3), ranked No. 5 in Class 1A by Let's Play Hockey, have tied in three of their last four games and ended the No. 2-1A Mustangs' 10-game winning streak.
 
Mahtomedi senior Luke Posner opened the scoring with a power-play goal six minutes into the game. Posner assisted Anderson’s first goal that followed 1 minute, 39 seconds later.
 
Breck (20-3-1) junior Carter Breitenfeldt and senior Chase Ellingson leveled the score 2-2 to end the first period. Breitenfeldt wristed a shot to the top-right corner past Zephyrs goaltender Will Swanson for the first goal and also zipped a pass across the slot for Ellingson’s tying goal.
 
Senior Jake Heinsch one-timed a pass from fellow senior Joe Forciea 1 minute, 37 seconds into the middle period to give the Zephyrs a brief lead before Ellingson answered with an unassisted goal under a minute later.
 
Ellingson put the finishing touches on his hat trick by tipping in a shot from senior Dalton Weigel at the point on the power play to give the Mustangs their first lead of the game with under six minutes left in the third period.
 
Anderson scored bar down to force overtime, where both Swanson and Breck goalie Linden Olness each made one save.
 
Olness finished the game with 15 saves and Swanson posted 23 saves.
Mahtomedi celebrates making the tying goal in the final period against Breck. The game ended in a tie 4 to 4 at the St. Croix Valley Recreation Center. Photo by Chris Juhn

Mahtomedi celebrates the tying goal in the third period against Breck, which ended in a 4-4 tie. Photo by Chris Juhn

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