Few high school teams can move and possess the puck at such a level, but Minnetonka, which boasts perhaps the deepest collection of talent in the state, clearly stands out.
“We work on owning the puck and dictating the pace and tempo of the play,” Minnetonka coach Sean Goldsworthy said. “This is the best puck-moving team I’ve ever had (at Minnetonka). I think it’s a testament to how unselfish this group is and how much they really, really, really like playing together.
“If I could cryo-freeze a team, this would be the one. Then I’d probably stick around another 30 years,” he joked.
Senior forward Max Krebsbach opened the scoring on a shot from the left circle off a cross-ice feed. It was the first of three cross-ice, backdoor goals for the Skippers as they spread out and took permanent control of the zone.
Minnetonka won the races and puck battles, and it went from there.
“The forecheck starts it all,” junior wing Sam Scheetz said. “Go hard and get the puck, then keep cycling, working low and making plays.”
Scheetz scored the third Skippers’ goal of the game late in the second, following a give-and-go strike from Gavin Garry and Javon Moore.
Shakopee (16-11) erased the shutout with a minute-and-a-half to go when Cooper Simpson scored unassisted. Sabers’ goalie Aleksi Huson finished with 58 saves.
No. 2 seed Minnetonka advances to the Class 2A, Section 2 final Thursday evening at Braemar against the winner of top-seed Chanhassen and Eden Prairie.
The MN Hockey Hub poll is for entertainment purposes only.