About two hours later, and two minutes and seven seconds into overtime, the Chaska sophomore scored to mark the team’s most important victory. It drove the No. 3-seeded Hawks to their second-ever section final with a 3-2 win over second-seeded Minnetonka.

“I didn’t think it was too hard of a shot, but I watched it hit the glass and slowly shatter,” Bruender. “A clean shot hit it square. I was surprised, you don’t see that every day.”

Chaska coach Matt Cooke, the first-year head of the program and former Minnesota Wild forward who played over a thousand games in the NHL, praises Bruender’s confidence in flexing the stick and eagerness to pull the trigger, through a screen no less. 

“If you want to score game-winners, you’ve got to be able to break the Plexi,” he joked. “Now it gives him something to work for on Wednesday.”

Shortly into overtime, where the next goal would end a team’s season, Bruender chipped the puck through the neutral zone into the middle. With defenders in front of him, he wanted to take the shot. Not a bad idea in overtime postseason hockey.

“I’m going to get this thing on the net,” Bruender said. “I’m going to rip this.” 

Bruender capped a storied comeback for Chaska (22-5-0), ranked No. 15 in the Feb. 23 Class 2A coaches' poll, and he put a bow on a day of upsets during the Class 2A, Section 2 semifinals at the rink and in the section bracket.

Chaska needed to come back to defeat Minnetonka, which were adept in creating turnovers. The No. 16-2A Skippers (16-10-1) built a two-goal lead with strikes from Hagen Burrows and Ashton Schultz and began working to take control. 

It wasn’t until three-plus minutes remained in the second when the Hawks scored from a Zach Seltun shot. Then a pivotal equalizer from defensemen Sam Rinzel with 1.9 seconds left in the period. In between, the Chaska penalty kill unit denied Minnetonka on four opportunities, including a 5-on-3. 

“Rinse, repeat, and start over,” Cooke says of a phrase he repeats to the team. 

Chaska advances to its first section final in Class 2A (the Hawks reached the Class 1A, Section 6 championship in 1997), where they will face No. 4 seed Prior Lake on Wednesday night, back at Braemar Arena.

The third and fourth seed upsets were full with loud student sections. Bruender says that’s part of what makes it so special to play high school hockey. 

“It’s the biggest goal of my life,” he said. “To be able to score and jump over to the student section in front of all of your friends, it’s awesome.”

A few hours before the Hawks upset, Prior Lake sent home top-seed Eden Prairie, setting up a No. 4 and No. 3 seed final Wednesday night back at Braemar. One step away from a state tournament berth, a first for both teams. 

“One more game,” Bruender said of a possible March trip to the Xcel Energy Center, high school hockey's holy grail. “But we can’t look too far ahead, only to the next game.”

Cooke, who was brought into the Wild near the end of his career, says he can feel like momentum is building within a team. He should know, his name is on the Stanley Cup (Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009).

“I know some of the kids today were nervous, but I felt this calmness,” Cooke said before today’s game. “I know that if you put in the work you need to and prepare properly, you should be successful. You’re only nervous if you’re (unprepared). I know what these guys are capable of and they’re a super talented group, and last week we learned how to compete and became a different hockey team.”