Wayzata Trojans now 6-0 on the season, 3 goals in the third period the difference
Wayzata Boys Hockey is off to a great start this season, with a lot of depth, speed and size working to their advantage. Fans in the stands from both squads were buzzing with anticipation as these two Top-10 teams met head to head at the Plymouth Ice Center.
Head Coach Pat O’leary described the contest, “There was so much energy in the building, and every play seemed so meaningful, just like in sections.”
O’leary continued, “We talked all night that is was going to take 3 solid periods to beat Benilde. Never too high never to low. We came out in the third and had great jump in our game. Evan Turek made a few phenomenal saves and we scored 2 timely goals to take the wind out of their sails.”
A balanced start in the first
The game kicked off with both teams displaying their prowess on the ice with some good back and forth between the teams. Benilde was very physical, landing a number of hits on Wayzata players including first shifter Jack Hartel, who was injured with a broken collar bone off one of those hits. The Trojans played 5 defense the rest of the night.
Benilde-St. Margaret’s drew first blood at 10:37, courtesy of #6 Mason Stenger, assisted by #18 Junior Podein and #11 Cameron Kirschner. However, Wayzata responded with a power-play goal at 15:49, as #16 Cade De St Hubert, with assistance from #19 Luke Miller and #22 Finn De St Hubert, leveled the score.
Intensity rises in the second
The second period intensified the competition. Benilde-St. Margaret’s regained the lead at 1:40 with #18 Junior Podein scoring, assisted by #11 Cameron Kirschner.
Wayzata, however, proved resilient. At 8:09, #22 Finn De St Hubert netted a power-play goal, supported by #6 Rhys Wallin and #20 Brittan Alstead. Shortly after, at 12:51, Alstead added another goal, assisted by #25 Brooks Gengler and #6 Rhys Wallin. Benilde-St. Margaret’s responded at 13:29 with #17 Caleb Koskie finding the back of the net, assisted by #6 Mason Stenger.
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Wayzata dominates the third period
In the final period, Wayzata unleashed a relentless offensive and tighten up on defense with a number of big saves in the 3rd by Evan Turek.
At 3:20, #5 Carson Clark scored, assisted by #16 De St Hubert. The lead extended at 11:01 when #19 Luke Miller found the net, assisted by #22 De St Hubert. The final blow came at 11:53, with #26 Eli Molde scoring, assisted by Gengler. Wayzata emerged victorious with a final score of 6-3 after scoring those three unanswered goals.
Power plays & penalties
Bellied had 4 penalties and sat a total of eight minutes. Wayzata had 1 penalty for 2 minutes. The Trojans power play was 2 of 4 on the night, while the Knights were 0 for 1.
Post-Game Reflection: A Night of Skill and Tenacity
As the final horn echoed through the arena, Wayzata celebrated their hard-fought triumph. The power plays and skilled teamwork had propelled them to success. Meanwhile, Benilde-St. Margaret’s reflected on their performance, vowing to regroup and come back stronger in the next showdown.
Wayzata is at Centennial on Saturday, December 16 at 3:00pm. Statistics via Legacy Hockey.
