Sun Current Editions Bloomington/Richfield | Page 18

Page 18 • Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 Bloomington • Richfield current.mnsun.com Hornet girls win 3rd straight state hockey crown By JOHN SHERMAN [email protected] Tied 3-3 with Brainerd/ Little Falls early in the second overtime Feb. 23 at Xcel Energy Center, the Edina High girls hockey team desperately needed a hero. The Hornets were in a fi x, although they had con- trolled the game with a 54- 20 edge in shots on goal. Brainerd/Little Falls had a close-range shot that went over the net, and that miss was just too close. The next time Edina crossed the red line, the sense of urgency was ex- tremely high. Vivian Jun- gels fi red a shot on goal that was saved by Olivia King, but the puck came on the rebound to Edina senior Olivia Swaim, and she fi red and scored to win the game 4-3. Edina (27-4-0) skated away with its third straight State Class AA Tourna- ment championship. The feeling of joy was accom- panied by a sense of re- lief. The Hornets would have taken it hard if they had outshot a team 56-20 and lost a state-title game. Brainerd/Little Falls, de- spite the shooting discrep- ancy in the title game, was a tough opponent. The Warriors fi nished the sea- son with a 25-5-1 record. Swaim is not one of Edi- na’s top scorers, nor is she a fl ashy player. However, she has played solidly for all three state-championship teams. “This is the best of the three because this is my last hockey game,” she said. “Swaim played one of her best games ever to- night,” Edina head coach Sami Reber said. “And it wasn’t just the goal that she scored. Our whole senior class brought it to- night. There were people who doubted us from Day 1, people who didn’t think we would win state again. But I knew we had every- one we needed.” The fi rst period of Sat- urday night’s game ended 2-2, with Cheyenne Abear and Abby Pohlkamp scor- ing for Brainerd/Little Falls and Vivian Jungels and Sophia Doll scoring for Edina. There was no scoring in the second period, but at 1:32 of the third period, Brainerd/Little Falls took a 3-2 lead on a goal by Emma Booth. Edina put a lot of pres- sure on their opponent during a 5-minute power play, due to a penalty for checking from behind. Four minutes into the power play, Tella Jungels scored the tying goal on as- sists from Mallory Uihlein and Lily Hendrikson. The fi rst overtime was scoreless as Edina built its shot total. At the con- clusion of that overtime, there was a 15-minute break to resurface the ice. Then the action resumed with Brainerd/Little Falls taking the early initiative. When the Warriors failed to score, it was Edina’s turn, and Swaim’s turn to enter Hornet history. “So much goes into a three-peat,” coach Reber said. “It starts with coming ready to work and estab- lishing a culture. We took the season day by day. Edina was not favored to win state, or even a Section 6AA title this year. Blake School was ranked No. 1 in the state Class AA poll for most of the season and entered the playoffs with a 24-2-0 record. In the sec- tion fi nals, Edina defeated the Bears 3-2, and that might have been the Hor- nets’ toughest test of the playoffs. Captain C.C. Bowlby, who had two assists in the Hornets’ win Saturday night, said, “We had trou- ble scoring, but battled through it.” Asked where this win ranks in her three-year Edina coaching career, Re- ber said, “Right up there at the top.” Semifi nal scare In the state semifi nals Feb. 23, Edina needed a goal late in the third period to edge Lake Conference rival Minnetonka 2-1. Captain Annie Kuehl’s goal with 38.4 seconds re- maining sent Edina’s fans into a frenzy. Edina held on from there to advance to the champi- onship game. Although badly outshot by the Hornets, Minneton- ka tied the game 1-1 on a goal by Josie Helling late in the third period. “After Minnetonka scored, we just had to stay positive and keep our heads up,” Kuehl said. Vivian Jungels scored the Hornets’ fi rst goal on a direct rush to the net, and it (PHOTO BY MARK TROCKMAN - TROCKSTOCK.COM) Members of the Edina High girls hockey team celebrate a third straight state championship with their fans Feb. 23 at the Xcel Energy Cen- ter. looked like that goal might hold up. “We didn’t allow Min- netonka to generate much offense,” coach Reber said. “We dedicated ourselves to the defensive zone.” The Hornets held Min- netonka without a shot during the second period, when Edina held the puck in the Skippers’ end. Minnetonka coach Eric Johnson, whose team went on to place third in the State Tournament said, “Sami does a really nice job with her team. We re- spect the Hornets, but we don’t fear them.” First-round success No. 1-seeded Edina shut out East Ridge 7-0 behind two goals from senior cap- tain C.C. Bowlby. Third- line center Jane Kuehl scored what turned out to be the game winning goal in the fi rst period. The goals by Bowlby, a Ms. Hockey of Minnesota fi - nalist, were her 27th and 28th of the season. “We take pride in our depth,” Edina head coach Reber said. “State is nerve racking for every team, but I think East Ridge felt it more than we did since this is their fi rst time at state.” Swaim, Lucy Bowlby, Katie Davis and defense- man Evelyn Adams had Edina’s other goals against East Ridge. Elli Strittmater recorded the win in goal with 17 stops. (SUN NEWSPAPERS STAFF PHOTO BY ANTHONY IOZZO) Hitting her mark Jefferson ninth-grader Danielle Machacek eyes up her spot on the vault to take off during the Class AA state gymnastics meet on Saturday, Feb. 23 at the Maturi Pavilion on the University of Min- nesota campus. She scored a 9.2750 to place 37th in the event, two-tenths of a point from a top-22 fi nish.