It was a tough week for the Mound Westonka boy’s high school hockey team with games against two top 20 ranked teams and a Lake conference AA team the week of January 9. The boys did not fare well losing all 3 games extending their winless streak to 4 in a row.

Tuesday, January 10 at St Cloud the boys played Cathedral and the Crusaders weren’t friendly hosts, opening the game with pressure in the White hawk zone with MW not able to get the puck out of the defensive zone for the first 4 minutes of the game. Momentum shifted at 5.16 with Cathedral taking a high sticking minor and the MW power play converted when Will Griffith feed the puck low to Alex Bakke near the post. Bakke slid the puck across to an open Jack Brandstetter, and after a couple of swipes he converted for an early 1-0 lead. Two minutes later at 8.36, the Crusaders tied the game off a face off in the White Hawk zone. At 11.40 St Cloud took the lead during a power play on a tip-in, leading at the end of the 1^st 2-1.

The White Hawks David Bingham tied the game at 5.36 of the 2^nd after Bakke sprung Mitch Spanjers in on the Cathedral goalie with Bingham following the play and scooping up a loose puck in the crease. St Cloud took the lead at 8.37 on a screen shot during a PP and extended the lead to 4-2 at 13.46 after consistent pressure in the MW zone for a 2 goal lead going into the 3^rd.

The Crusaders added two more goals in the 3^rd leading 6-2 with 12 minutes left in the contest. The White Hawks narrowed the gap on a 2 man advantage at 8.34 With Bakke converting on an assist by Hunter Smith & Riley Williams.  The Crusaders were on top of their game all night with 35 shots defeating our boys 6-3.

Thursday, January 12 Hopkins came to Thaler arena after getting roughed up by Minnetonka 8-0 two nights earlier. The Royals opened the scoring at 11.04 with a tip in on the power play.  Late in the 1^st at 16.36 Hopkins tipped in another shot after some good puck movement/passing in the MW zone.

The White Hawks mounted a comeback in the 2^nd at 1.52 when Jeremy Schulz chased the puck into the corner and feed the puck behind the net to Ben Oborsky. The junior found Tanner Palm breaking in hard in front of the Royal net and Palm one timed it in narrowing the gap to one. Hopkins took three minor penalties in a row in the period, but the MW power play, which has struggled this year, could not convert.  Sophomore Hunter Smith tied the game at 12.07 swatting one out of the air behind the Hopkins goaltender after a Will Griffith shot from the right point with an additional assist to Jack Brandstetter.  At the end of the 2^nd, the game was tied at two.

The 3^rd period was tight with both teams playing defensive hockey and only 3 minor penalties in the period. The third would prove to be costly. Late in the game with .43 sec. remaining MW took a tough roughing minor that rolled over into the overtime period.  Hopkins leading scorer Tanner Holmquist won a faceoff in the White hawk zone then wheeled around and fired a screen shot high into the net with just 5 seconds left on the MW penalty, ending the game 1.12 into the extra session.  The final was a tough 3-2 OT loss.