Prior to Saturday's Class 2A, Section 5 semifinal matchup with rival Blaine, Maple Grove coach Todd Bergland told his team that the Bengals had yet to face the Crimson at full strength.

Throughout the regular season, Maple Grove was hampered by injuries. The result was a 12-13-0 overall record and a fifth-place finish in the Northwest Suburban Conference North Division, where the Crimson finished with a 4-6-0 mark and two losses to Blaine.

But Maple Grove never stopped working, and the perseverance paid off with a trip to the section championship game as the fourth-seeded Crimson used a hat trick from freshman Trevor Janicke to upset the top-seeded Bengals 6-2 in the semifinals at Champlin Ice Forum.

Maple Grove's ability to handle adversity helped the Crimson through a rough regular season, and they relied on it once again in this matchup with Blaine.

Early in the second period, Maple Grove's Jarrett Cammarata had his skate blade chip off and go flying through the air. As his team headed toward the Bengals' net, Cammarata had to push off one skate while crawling to the Crimson's bench as fast as he could. 

"I wanted the ref to push me," said Cammarata, who added he's only had a blade break in practice, not a big game. "It was a 5-on-4 the other way."

He made it, and moments after returning to the ice with two functioning skates, the junior netted his second goal of the night to even the game at 1-1 and keep Maple Grove on Blaine's heels. 

"Jarrett is a technician of the game with clutch goals," Bergland said. 

While Cammarata, who has 25 points (6 goals, 19 assists) this year, has a knack for timely scoring, but he's been only part of the Crimson's success.

Maple Grove has been helped by younger players who stepped up, highlighted by Trevor Janicke. The freshman recorded his first hat trick of the season Saturday night, giving him 39 points (15 goals, 24 assists) on the season.

"(Janicke) doesn't stop working," Bergland said. 

For the freshman, the win over Blaine almost left him speechless.

"It's unbelievable to know we have a chance for the state tournament," Janicke said. 

The opportunity to make state is big for not only the team but for the Maple Grove community, Bergland said. 

While the boys were playing in the section semifinal game, the Crimson girls' hockey team was competing for the Class 2A state championship. 

"I'm happy for the city of Maple Grove," Bergland said. "Things are finally starting to click."

Immediately after the boys' game, Bergland asked how the girls were doing. He was told Eden Prairie beat Maple Grove 3-2 in overtime to win the girls' Class 2A state title, leaving the Crimson boys as the community's last shot to bring a hockey state title to Maple Grove this season.

"We're going to be ready to go," Cammarata said.

Freshman Trevor Janicke recorded a hat trick as No. 4 seed Maple Grove upset No. 1 seed Blaine 6-3 in the Class 2A, Section 5 semifinals at Champlin Ice Forum on Saturday.

The Bengals put 10 shots on Crimson goalie Brady Goodman in the first period, and Max Bautch scored the first goal of the game on a slap shot that nicked off of Goodman's pads to put Blaine up 1-0.

Two minutes into the second period, Jarrett Cammarata tied the game 1-1 with a wrist shot, and finished with two goals on the night after a goal in the middle of the third period.

Blake Nastrom gave the Bengals a one-goal advantage midway through the second period, but Janicke launched a slap shot to the back of the net to even the score.

The game remained tied 2-2 until the 8:56 mark of the third period, when Janicke recorded his second goal of the night. Cammarata made it 4-2 just five and a half minutes later.

Bautch notched his second goal of the game on a power play to keep things close with two minutes to play, but two empty-net goals ensured Maple Grove a spot in the section final.

Blaine finishes the year with a 22-5 record while the Crimson (14-13) advance to face No. 3 seed Anoka on Thursday at Aldrich Arena in Maplewood.

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