As much as the first Class 1A semifinal looked like it was going to overtime, the second semi made it there after a crazy, goal-filled game between top-seed Hermantown and No. 5 seed St. Cloud Cathedral (21-7-2) was tied 5-5 after regulation.
A second overtime period looked like it was coming, actually. But the senior captain Ryan Sandelin scored his fourth goal of the game (yes, fourth) just off a faceoff with 21.3 seconds left in the first eight-minute overtime period to give his Hawks (28-1-1) the 6-5 victory and a trip back to the Class 1A championship to defend their title.
“I just hugged him and whispered in his ear, I said, ‘you’ve got to do it tonight because some of the guys are playing on flat tires. It’s gotta be you.’ He took it from there, man,” said coach Bruce Plante.
The Crusaders got off to a fast start, scoring a pair of goals 18 seconds apart early in the first period. The Hawks answered for a 2-1 game at the first intermission. Sandelin’s first goal tied the game at 2. Then things got particularly interesting.
The Crusaders scored three goals in a 1:14 span in the middle of the second period to take a commanding 5-2 lead. But the Hawks kept playing and kept it positive on the bench. They weren’t nervous or panicky on the bench, and Plante knew his team would respond, he said.
“We knew if we kept chipping away we could get goals, and that’s what happened,” Sandelin said.
“I JUST HUGGED HIM AND WHISPERED IN HIS EAR, I SAID, ‘YOU’VE GOT TO DO IT TONIGHT BECAUSE SOME OF THE GUYS ARE PLAYING ON FLAT TIRES. IT’S GOTTA BE YOU.’
It was 5-3 by the time the third period started, and Sandelin didn’t waste time getting his hat trick just 55 seconds into the period to cut the deficit again. About five minutes later, Elliott Peterson scored just his third goal of the season to tie the game at 5-5.
“To get it here on this stage, there’s no words to describe it,” Peterson said.
The Hawks just “found another gear that we could not match,” said Cathedral coach Derrick Brown. “And that’s why I think they’re going to be the state champions again this year.”
The final shots-on-goal tally was 66-27 in favor of the Hawks, who outshot the Crusaders 11-0 in overtime. Cathedral’s goaltender Jake Levinski made 60 saves. Cade McEwen made 22 saves for the Hawks.
After the game, Brown handed the game puck to Sandelin. That means a lot to Sandelin, he said.
“I think he’s one of the classiest young coaches around,” Plante said.
The Hawks are on a 28-game winning streak after losing their season opener 5-1 at Class 2A opponent Wayzata and then skating to a 1-1 tie the next game against Lakeville South. They also needed overtime to beat Luverne in the quarterfinal.
Hermantown and Monticello/Annandale/Maple Lake will meet for the Class 1A title at noon Saturday.
