Two-Time State Champion Breck Falls to Prowlers

boys hockey coach Les Larson said that his team didn’t show up, that the Mustangs acted disinterested while holding the lead and were unable to recover when they lost it.

But perhaps the toughest part of Wednesday’s 7-5 loss to Thief River Falls in the Class A state quarterfinals was that the Prowlers simply took over the third period when it mattered most.

“They wanted it more than us,” Larson said. “Four unanswered goals? That’s huge. That doesn’t happen to us.”

It did Wednesday at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, and it cost Breck a shot at three consecutive Class A state titles.

The Mustangs trailed three times in the game—twice in the first and from 9:18 on in the third—and in each of those instances the Prowlers showed an intensity and electricity Breck couldn’t overcome.

The Mustangs will play New Ulm at noon Thursday in the consolation semifinals at Mariucci Arena. Thief River Falls (20-8-0) face St. Thomas Academy on Friday at 1 p.m.

Despite trailing 1-0 and 2-1 on Wednesday, Breck found ways to come back. Junior Conor Andrle scored twice in the second to give the Mustangs a 3-2 lead, and a goal by Grant Opperman seemingly put Breck in control at 4-2 heading into the third.

But Thief River Falls fought back.

Ryan Crosson scored a pair of goals for the Prowlers to open scoring in the third—including a shorthanded tally that tied the game at 4-4 and pushed all momentum into Thief River Falls’ favor.

“They’re hockey players,” Larson said. “They come to play, and you have to be ready for them. They showed it tonight.”

Andrle said the message on the Mustangs’ (20-9-0) bench was to stay calm, but as the Prowlers kept attacking Breck couldn’t climb back.

“Credit to them,” Andrle said. “We got a little confident in the third period, and you just can’t do that every single game.”

Unlike its last two section wins—overtime bouts with Delano and Orono—the Mustangs didn’t pull out a closely contested postseason game. The result come Saturday will be a new state champion.

“I don’t think we took anything for granted,” Larson said. “I think it was more inexperience. We let it slip away.”

GAME SUMMARY

Thief River Falls 2 0 5 — 7

Breck School 1 3 1 — 5

Scoring — First period: 1:30 TRF Riley Soderstrom (Connor Doherty), 5:05 BRECK Keegan Iverson (Matt Colford, Shayne Ciernia) PPG, 6:28 TRF Brady Meunier (Ryan Crosson). Second period: 0:32 BRECK Conor Andrle (M. Colford, S. Ciernia), 5:49 BRECK C. Andrle (Benja Tegtmeyer, Ben Gleekel), 15:26 BRECK Grant Opperman (M. Colford). Third period: 1:08 TRF Ryan Crosson (B. Meunier, Chris Forney), 3:50 TRF R. Crosson (Micah Ranum) SHG, 7:42 TRF Derek Kayser (C. Forney, Beezer Skime), 14:45 TRF M. Ranum (B. Meunier), 15:43 BRECK Thomas Lindberg (unassisted), 16:40 Evan Ose (C. Doherty) ENG. Shots on goal — TRF 33, BRECK 29. Power plays — TRF 1-2, BRECK 1-3. Saves — TRF Jon Narverud 24, BRECK Jack Kenney 26.