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Benilde-St. Margaret's rallies to tie Hermantown after giving up two early goals

By Loren Nelson, SportsEngine, 12/07/19, 12:30PM CST

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Blake Biondi gave the Hawks the lead eight seconds into the first period, but the Red Knights answered back with two second period goals.


Hermantown's Ethan Lund breaks in for a scoring chance on Benilde-St. Margaret's goaltender Carson Limesand on Saturday afternoon. Photo by Loren Nelson, LegacyHockeyPhotography.com

The players’ lounge has leather chairs and a massive flat screen. The NHL-style individual dressing stalls were handcrafted out of wood. But not just any wood. Teak? Cherry, perhaps?

No matter. Benilde-St. Margaret’s plush locker room deep inside the St. Louis Park Rec Center was hardly a safe haven for Red Knights players Saturday afternoon as they headed off the ice and straight into the tempest that was a displeased Ken Pauly after the first period of their North-South Classic matchup with Hermantown. 

Pauly, in his 27th season at Benilde-St. Margaret’s, isn’t shy about letting his players know when they aren’t performing to their full potential.

This was one of those times.


Blake Biondi scored a goal and added an assist in the first period to help Hermantown take a two-goal lead against Benilde-St. Margaret's. Photo by Loren Nelson, LegacyHockeyPhotography.com

First Report

Senior forward Blake Biondi, Hermantown’s Mr. Hockey candidate, scored eight seconds after the opening puck drop and added a first-period assist, but was held in check the rest of the way as Benilde-St. Margaret’s rallied from a two-goal deficit to forge a 2-2 tie on Saturday during the second and final day of the North-South Classic at the St. Louis Park Rec Center.

Hermantown, ranked No. 1 in Class 1A in the latest state coaches’ poll, showed no signs of fatigue playing less than 24 hours after losing 4-2 to No. 1-2A Eden Prairie on Friday night. Biondi’s goal, a breakaway off a set face-off play, sparked the Hawks (2-1-0, 0-0-0) to a dominating first period that also included Ethan Lund’s goal from the slot off a feed from Biondi.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s (3-1-1, 0-0-0), No. 9-2A, dominated the second, outshooting the Hawks 15-9 and getting goals from Jackson Bisson and Adam Marshall.

Both teams tightened their defenses in the third period and overtime session, when prime scoring chances were at a minimum. Biondi had Hermantown’s best chance in the extra session, but his close-range shot was stopped by Red Knights goaltender Carson Limesand, who finished with 22 saves.

Hermantown goaltender Jacob Backstrom, who overcame an issue with his skate blade in the first period, finished with 36 saves. Both teams fired three shots on goal in the overtime period.

The MN Hockey Hub poll is for entertainment purposes only.

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