Sports
Cadets "Show Grit" in 5-4 Loss to Duluth East
St. Thomas Academy dug a deep 4-1 hole early but battled back against the top-ranked Class 2A team in the state.
Defending Class 1A state champion gave Class 2A Duluth East a scare Tuesday night in the Schwan Cup Gold Division semifinal at the Xcel Energy Center. But the Cadets wanted to do more than just scare the top-ranked Greyhounds.
“Obviously we wanted to win,” said STA co-head coach Tom Vanelli after his team’s 5-4 loss. “This is a tournament where you can find out where you are and build on it. I think we’re one of the top teams in the state.”
The Greyhounds might not argue.
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After skating to a 1-1 tie at the end of the first period, Duluth East scored three unanswered goals to take a 4-1 lead in the second. That lead lasted about 20 seconds as STA’s Henry Hart quickly responded to spark a Cadet comeback.
The Cadets seemed to crank up the speed after that goal and kept Duluth East’s defense on their heels through much of the game, especially at the end of periods.
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“I think everyone realized we had to kick it into gear,” said STA defenseman Eric Schurhamer. “We just tried to take it shift by shift and give it our all.”
Alex Johnson’s second goal of the game made it 4-3 with 10:46 left in the third period, but Duluth East’s Conner Valesano got the eventual game-winner with 4:12 remaining.
St. Thomas Academy applied consistent heavy pressure—out-shooting the Greyhounds 30-25 for the game—and scored with 18 seconds remaining after pulling their goalie for an extra skater, but the clock ran out during their final rush to end their hard-fought comeback attempt.
“To get down that way and be able to come back shows a lot of grit,” said Vanelli. “I think, truth be told, they’re (Duluth East) probably pretty happy that they got out of the game and that it ended when it did.”
So did this holiday tournament loss prove anything?
“We found a way to stay in the game,” said Vanelli. “It proves that we’re conditioned, we’re disciplined, and we kept swinging. There have been some players that have stepped up and filled some really big shoes. This team has been a pleasant surprise.”
And this team still has a second-straight Class 1A state title in its sights.
