Photo Gallery: Wayzata vs. Minnetonka
After Saturday’s game, Minnetonka coach Sean Goldsworthy said his best line was his second line of three sophomores.
With that being said, it’s fitting that the trio of Javon Moore, Gavin Garry and Hagen Burrows were the stars of the show for the Skippers. The line accounted for three of the team’s four goals as Minnetonka ended its four-game winless streak in a 4-1 defeat at Pagel Activity Center.
Heading into Saturday’s game, the Skippers (7-5-1, 1-0) had not won a game since Dec. 18. Since that 4-1 win against Moorhead, Minnetonka had gone 0-3-1, dropping games to Rogers, Roseau and Prior Lake while tying Chanhassen.
“As much as last year was a challenge, this has been just as hard,” Goldsworthy said. “We’ve had a lot of sickness and injuries this past month. We haven’t had our regular lineup. That’s been really hard on our guys.”
But while there have been ups and downs for Minnetonka, the line of Moore, Garry and Burrows had stuck together and had been a bright spot for the Skippers.
“They complement each other well,” Goldsworthy said. “That’s the one line we haven’t moved on. On any night, they’re all having success.”
The sophomore line stuck together heading into the Wayzata game. However, the Skippers made a change in net Saturday as they started senior Jack McKenzie for the first time this season. Prior to this year, McKenzie had played on the Minnetonka Junior Gold A team and has spent most of the season playing behind junior Beau Motzko.
“Sometimes you have to make some changes to your lineup,” Goldsworthy said. “The senior class really rallied around a guy who hasn’t played very much.”
Whether it was the change in goaltender or eagerness to get back in the win column, the Skippers came out and got the best of the Trojans (7-5-1, 2-1) early on. Minnetonka came out firing as the Skippers registered 15 shots on goal in the first period.
“We were ready to go,” Garry said. “We just really prepared. It pretty much worked out from there.”
Though most of those shots were stopped by Wayzata junior goaltender Will Ingemann, Minnetonka broke through on the penalty kill late in the period when senior forward Wyatt Chartier dove near the net and scored to make it 1-0.
“The only thing we’ve done really well this year through 12 games is our special teams,” Goldsworthy said. “Our special teams, in the big picture, are built for the Lake Conference.”
In the second period, special teams loomed even larger for the Skippers. Seconds after a power play expired, Garry dove for a puck near the net and scored to make it 2-0.
Two minutes and 29 seconds later, Minnetonka was back on the power play and Garry was near the front of the net once again. This time, he deflected the shot toward the net to beat Ingemann and make it 3-0. Prior to this game, Garry had just four goals this season.
“I love being in front of the net,” Garry said. “That’s where the goals are scored.”
Garry’s linemate, Burrows, got in on the scoring action as he made it 4-1 in the third period.
Meanwhile, McKenzie was holding his own in net. Outside of a Wayzata goal just 14 seconds into the third period, McKenzie had a perfect night. He finished his start stopping 28 of 29 shots.
“He’s been working really hard,” Garry said. “It paid off tonight.”
The win ends a tough stretch and has Minnetonka left with a perfect conference record. However, as Goldsworthy and others know, there are likely to be more downs and more ups as the season roars on.
“The reality is high school hockey is streaky,” Goldsworthy said. “The name of the game is how consistent can you keep their effort? If you do and have enough talent, you’ll have success.”