Totino-Grace pulled off the upset against Mahtomedi Wednesday night at Roseville Ice Arena by riding a wave of third-period goals to come from behind and stun the top-seeded Zephyrs 6-5 in Class 1A, Section 4 semifinal action.
Ryan Johnson scored twice, and goaltender Mike Bonfe stopped 38 shots to help lift the fifth-seeded Eagles past Mahtomedi, ranked No. 4 in Class 1A by the coaches' poll.
Fighting back from a three-goal deficit, Totino-Grace seized the momentum early in the final period, and the Zephyrs were never the same, despite outshooting the Eagles 42-36 for the night.
"I thought we ran into an inspired hockey team tonight, and (Totino-Grace) deserved it," Mahtomedi coach Jeff Poeschl said. "They outworked us. They won battles. They won races. Once things started turning, it seemed like there was no getting it back."
The Zephyrs opened the scoring midway through the first period when Hunter Solomon scored an even-strength goal. They followed with another from Jared Fladebo at the 16-minute mark to build the early 2-0 lead.
But after Mahtomedi expanded its lead to 3-0, Totino-Grace went to work, scoring three times in the second and then completely turning the tables in the third.
"Our pressure forced them to make quick decisions, and more and more, that led to opportunities for us," Johnson said.
Indeed, the Eagles' pressure played a big role. Totino-Grace charged the points in its own zone and kept a stifling forecheck in place the entire game that wore on Mahtomedi (17-6-3) late in the game.
Johnson's goal 3 minutes, 23 seconds into the third leveled the score 4-4, and Luke Bonfe scored a short time later to give the Eagles their first lead and a tremendous amount of confidence.
Being able to respond while trailing wasn't always something this Totino-Grace squad could handle. The Eagles (8-16-2) have ridden through their share of peaks and valleys this season.
With a new mindset for the playoffs, Totino-Grace has turned the page on the late-season frustrations.
"We came focused. We've been focused for a while," Johnson said. "During the season, things didn't really go our way. But tonight they did, and a lot of that (success) is because we felt like we outworked them."
The eventual game-winner came at 11:54 of the third, when Cam Fagerlee's even-strength score crossed the goal line and may have also effectively taken the wind of the the Zephyrs' sail.
"We didn't take care of the puck, and we didn't play our disciplined system that we are accustomed to," Poeschl said. "It's a tough pill to swallow. I could berate my team's play, but I'd rather credit Totino-Grace because they earned this."
The Eagles hope to keep this momentum moving forward.
"We've come together more as a team," Bonfe said. "We know we've got talent, it just took a while for us to figure out how to use it."
Totino-Grace is one step away from punching its ticket to the state tournament, and that helps put the entire process into perspective.
"We've got a different mindset now in the postseason," Johnson said. "Before, we would spend too much time messing around, and the work ethic wasn't really there like it is now."
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