Caden Morgan (7) fights for possession along the boards. Morgan's goal and assist in the first period led Edina to a 4-0 win over Benilde-St. Margaret's in the Class 2A, Section 6 final. Photo by Cheryl A. Myers, SportsEngine
Edina goaltender Robbie Clarkowski sends the puck to the corner. Clarkowski tallied 26 saves for his fourth consecutive shut out and eighth of the season. Photo by Cheryl A. Myers, SportsEngine
According to Edina coach Curt Giles, the focus for the second half has been on defense and slowing down their opponents.
That focus has been on display throughout the Class 2A, Section 6 tournament. That included Wednesday’s 4-0 win against Benilde-St. Margaret’s at Bloomington Ice Garden as Edina won and advanced to next week’s Class 2A state tournament for the first time since 2019.
The shutout victory for the Hornets (20-8) is their fourth consecutive as Edina has yet to allow a goal in the postseason. That included a 9-0 win against Robbinsdale Armstrong/Cooper in the quarterfinals and a 1-0, overtime win against Wayzata in the semifinals. The Hornets are also in the midst of an eight-game winning streak.
Photo Gallery: Benilde-St. Margaret's vs Edina
“The key is not giving the other team space,” Giles said. “When you give their skill players space, you’re going to have some problems. The kids did a really nice job of it tonight.”
While shutting out the three opponents prior to the game against Benilde-St. Margaret’s is impressive in its own right, shutting down the Red Knights was going to be quite the challenge. They came into the section final averaging 5.44 goals per game.
Once the game started, however, Edina controlled things. The Hornets, including junior defenseman Caden Morgan, used their semifinal experience against Wayzata to stay calm despite the big nature of the game and sold-out crowd of more than 1,600 fans.
“The Wayzata game was just as packed,” Morgan said. “That got all the nerves out. We were happy to be here.”
On the Benilde-St. Margaret’s side, coach Ken Pauly admitted his team had some nerves which led to a slower start for the top-seeded Red Knights.
“It was all uphill after the slow start,” Pauly said. “They shut the lanes down. Our smaller forwards had a tough time getting through the neutral zone.”
That start eventually led to Edina going ahead 1-0 thanks to a goal off the stick of Morgan.
“I hit the pad on the first shot and just shot it again,” Morgan said. “It was huge. It got the people going.”
Four minutes later, the Hornets made it 2-0 when sophomore forward Jackson Nevers buried his open opportunity in front of the net. Edina made it 3-0 in the second when junior forward Matt VanderVort converted a two-on-one rush. The Hornets put an exclamation point on things in the third period with an empty-net goal.
Meanwhile, Edina continued to frustrate Benilde-St. Margaret’s players with their defensive effort. That included the play of Hornet junior goaltender Robbie Clarkowski. He’s been in net for each of the past four shutouts. He stopped all 26 shots he faced.
“Huge credit to Robbie,” Morgan said. “We have a lot of confidence in him. We can lean on him and trust each other.”
The win sends Edina back to state for the first time since 2019 when the Hornets won the Class 2A title. It’s likely that defense will determine the Hornets’ success.
“We’ve been trending upwards lately,” Morgan said. “It’s a childhood dream for all of us. We’re looking forward to it.”
Benilde-St. Margaret's Adam Marshall (9) fires off a shot in the first period. The Red Knights fell to the Hornets 4-0 on Wednesday night. Photo by Cheryl A. Myers, SportsEngine
First Report
For the first time since 2019, Edina is headed to the Xcel Energy Center for the state tournament.
Playing against top-seeded Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Edina went up 3-0 after two periods and held on to win 4-0 and capture the Class 2A, Section 6 championship on Wednesday at Bloomington Ice Garden.
In the first period, the Hornets (20-8) kicked off the scoring when junior defenseman Caden Morgan scored off a faceoff to make it 1-0. Morgan finished the game with a goal and an assist.
Later in the period, Edina doubled its lead when sophomore forward Jackson Nevers beat Red Knights goaltender Mason McElroy.
The lead grew even more for the Hornets in the second period when junior forward Matt VanderVort converted on a two-on-one opportunity on a pass from sophomore forward John Halverson.
Benilde-St. Margaret’s (22-6) failed to get on the board in this section final despite coming into this game averaging more than five goals per game. Edina junior goalie Robbie Clarkowski earned the shutout with 26 saves while McElroy finished with 27.
With the win, the Hornets will play in the Class 2A state tournament in St. Paul starting on March 10.
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