Blaine junior forward Carsen Richels had his chances as teammates cycled the puck to him on early power plays against Maple Grove. He finally scored with 10 minutes, 19 seconds left in regulation during a tie game.

“I had a lot of shots all game, a lot of them weren’t getting through,” Richels said. “And then finally at the end there, that one squeezed upstairs. Big goal.”

Richels’ team-leading 39th goal gave No. 3-ranked Blaine a 2-1 victory over the No. 6-ranked Crimson in the Class 2A, Section 5 boys’ hockey championship Thursday at Aldrich Arena.

After three consecutive seasons of section semifinal losses to Maple Grove, Blaine finally got past the Crimson.

The Bengals fell behind only 17 seconds into the game on a Crimson goal from sophomore Sam Jacobs.

Finally. After three consecutive seasons of section semifinal losses to Maple Grove, Blaine got a victory in the section championship.

The No. 3-ranked Bengals got a third-period power-play goal to defeat No. 6-ranked Maple Grove 2-1 in the Class 2A, Section 5 championship Thursday at Aldrich Arena.

Blaine junior forward Carsen Richels had the winner, blasting a shot from the circles with 10 minutes, 19 seconds left in regulation for his team-leading 39th goal of the season.

The Bengals fell behind just 17 seconds into the game on a Crimson goal from sophomore Sam Jacobs.

But Blaine senior forward and Mr. Hockey Finalist Bryce Brodzinski tied the game four minutes into the second period with his 35th goal of the season.

Blaine (22-2-2) ran its winning streak to 17 games, while the Crimson (21-4-1) saw its seven-game streak snapped. 

Check back later for more on the game.