Sports
Red Knights Advance To Sectional Final
The Benilde-St. Margaret's girls hockey team topped a feisty Hopkins squad in a 6AA semifinal Wednesday night.
Hopkins did not give up its hold on the Section 6AA girls hockey crown easily.
The Royals, who finished third in state last year after winning the section, made matters difficult for Benilde-St. Margaret's before the second-seeded Red Knights were able to put away the sixth-seeded Royals, 4-0, at Parade Ice Garden Wednesday in a game much closer than the final score showed.
"Hats off to Hopkins," BSM head coach Dave Herbst said afterward. "They came out and worked and worked and worked."
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Hopkins opened the contest on the offensive, setting the Red Knights back on their heels as goaltender Tiana Press and the BSM defense found themselves deflecting one Royals opportunity after another.
"We came out a little bit tight," Herbst said. "Our kids may have been looking ahead."
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However, for all of Hopkins' chances, it was BSM that recorded the period's lone tally as forward Kelly Pannek sent an unassisted goal past Royals netminder Erin O'Neil to put the Red Knights up 1-0 heading into the first intermission.
"They're big and strong," Hopkins head coach Vin Paolucci said. "You've got to tip your hat to 'em. We have a couple of chances there, but they made the saves and then took advantage."
While Pannek's goal was all that BSM would need, defender Jordyn Burns gave her team some insurance with a goal — assisted by forwards Brittany Wheeler and Caitlyn Reilly — at 14:13 to make the score 2-0 heading into the third period.
Wheeler fired home the Red Knights' third goal, with assists going to Burns and forward Sara Taffe, on the power play at 4:27 to all-but put the game away. An empty net score by Pannek from Burns at 16:01 brought the count to its would-be final of 4-0.
"They advance, we hit the weight room," Paolucci said. "They are a big, strong team with fight."
Press made 15 saves for the Red Knights, ranked third in Class AA, who now face top-seeded and No. 1 ranked Minnetonka at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Parade for a trip to the state tournament.
The Skippers topped BSM, 2-1, at the St. Louis Park Rec Center in this season's previous meeting between the teams on Dec. 18.
"We'll have to be ready for them," Herbst said.
