Cretin-Derham Hall converted on just nine percent of its power plays during the regular season.

But the fourth-seeded Raiders scored on two of three in the Class 2A, Section 6 semifinals, including the game-winner, in a 4-3 overtime upset of top-seeded Benilde-St. Margaret’s on Saturday at the Bloomington Ice Garden.

Senior Jack Jaunich scored his third goal of the game on a power play 4 minutes, 38 seconds into overtime, as the Raiders (16-11) ended the Red Knights' season.

“Our team’s really just peaking at this time, and we’re just playing our best,” Jaunich said. “I just thought we had a rough season, and I just feel like our team's finally coming together and motivating each other."

Jaunich, who scored just eight goals and finished the regular season with 25 points, notched his first three points of the postseason with Saturday's hat trick.

Cretin-Derham Hall lost six straight games in December but has gone 15-5 since and won seven of its past eight. Jaunich said the team’s 4-2 quarterfinal win over Hopkins was the best it had played all year.

Jaunich gave Cretin-Derham Hall a 1-0 lead in the first period of the semifinals, though Benilde-St. Margaret’s Auggie Moore tied the game less than three minutes later. The Raiders took a 3-1 lead late into the second before Moore scored his second of the game, making it 3-2.

Zach Risteau tied the game for the Red Knights, ranked No. 1 in the Class 2A coaches' poll, on a third-period power play. It came about 30 seconds after the team’s top scorer, Cade Gleekel, came on for his only shift of the game.

Gleekel hadn’t played since sustaining an injury Feb. 11 against Wayzata, and coach Ken Pauly said his absence was noticeable.

“You try to play it down, but there is just no getting around the fact that you take the top forward out of anyone’s lineup, and you tell me what it does to their lineup,” Pauly said. “It’s a domino effect, and so we haven’t been very sharp since that.”

The loss ended a 15-game winning streak for the Red Knights (25-1-1). They struggled in recent victories over St. Louis Park and Holy Angels, however, taking close games into the third period.

“It’s the time of year when everyone’s watching, and we just didn’t get it done at the critical moment,” Pauly said. “Things went our way all year, and those things abandoned us at a critical time.”

First Report

Jack Jaunich scored three goals for Cretin-Derham Hall as the fourth-seeded Raiders upset top-seeded Benilde-St. Margaret's 4-3 in overtime in the Class 2A, Section 6 semifinals at Bloomington Ice Garden on Saturday.

The Red Knights, ranked No. 1 in the Class 2A coaches' poll, tied the game with 9:09 remaining in the third period on a Zach Risteau goal. It came about 30 seconds after the team's leading scorer, Cade Gleekel, made his first appearance since sustaining a shoulder injury Feb. 11.

Gleekel did not play another shift.

Benilde-St. Margaret's trailed 3-1 late in the second period following a goal by Certin-Derham Hall's John Gleason. The Red Knights cut the lead to one on Auggie Moore's second goal of the game with 1.5 seconds remaining in the period.

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