Champlin Park/Coon Rapids girls hockey opened the Section 5AA quarterfinals with a 4-3 win over Rogers 4-3 in overtime on Feb. 10 at the Roseville Ice Arena.
June Semling, with assists from Taylor Zahalka and Llly McKenzie, scored the winning goal in overtime to secure the win for CPCR.
Champlin Park/Coon Rapids girls hockey head coach Todd Gutterman noted after the game that Rogers was a tough opponent, noting them as one of the best sixth seeds in the state this year.
“Our team showed great character all year,” he said. “This is a great Rogers team and we knew it was going to be a battle going into this game. We beat them twice this year and it’s always going to be hard to beat a team three times. Our girls didn’t give up. They kept fighting and found a way.”
CPCR girls hockey returns to the ice the following week to play Maple Grove on Tuesday, Feb. 13, in the Section 5AA semifinals at Roseville Ice Arena, after this edition when to press.
Gutterman added that the upcoming game against semifinal Maple Grove will be difficult, particularly through the challenge of besting Maple Grove goalie Dani Strom.
“We’ve just got to make sure we’re disciplined in all three zones,” he said. “We’re facing one of the best goalies in the state, so we have to make sure we can take away her eyes and bury some chances.”
Sixth seed Rogers provided a genuine threat to third seed CPCR. Rogers ended the regular season with a 5-8 NWSC record, while CPCR was 7-5-1. Rogers hosted CPCR in the first game of the season, losing 2-1 to the Bluebirds. CPCR later beat Rogers again on Jan. 23, this time 6-2.
The Bluebirds made clear claim of the first period, outshooting Rogers 10-5 and forcing the Panthers defense to work hard to keep them out. Rogers achieved this for 10 minutes, but CPCR found their way through with a rebound shot from Sydney Burnevik, assisted by McKenzie and Semling.
Rogers responded to the controlled first period from CPCR with a strong period of their own in the second, putting up 10 shots to CPCR’s nine and finding an early tying goal from Avery Achterkirch.
Rogers looked set to mount a full comeback in the second period and was narrowly kept out by CPCR goalie Madelyn Wostrel, only for the Bluebirds to suddenly make it 2-1 with just over a minute to play with a tap-in team goal for Burnevik.
Rogers looked primed to make something happen in the second period. The Panthers were at it again early in the third period. scoring two goals in the first 10 minutes to take a 3-2 lead shortly after the clock hit 10:00 p.m. on a day of several late-running games at Roseville.
CPCR tied the game up at 3-3 with a goal from Tessa Boden. Locked at 3-3 with minutes remaining, the drama began to build. With 22 seconds to go, CPCR’s Sydney Burnevik believed she had scored a goal. The shot deflected off the Rogers goalie and reached the goal line amid a deflection against the frame, but, according to the referee, did not cross. The shot was convincing enough that the Bluebirds celebrated, but the score remained 3-3.
Delayed as it was, CPCR did find the way, winning 4-3 in overtime. thanks to Semling’s winning shot with some help from Zahalka and McKenzie. McKenzie earned her 100th career point in the win.
Boys hockey
Champlin Park boys hockey added a conference win to their season last week, beating Anoka 5-1 at home on Feb. 8 to improve to 7-5-1 in Northwest Suburban Conference play.
Putting up 55 shots against the Cardinals, Champlin Park opened the scoring in the first period through Nick Carlson, with an assist by Evan Long. Two more goals came in the second period through Carlson and Brent Solomon. Anoka scored early in the third to make it a game, but two more goals from Solomon and Will Burnevik made it 5-1 to ensure the Rebels took the win.
Carlson’s two goals took him past the 10-goal marker for this season, now at 11, while Solomon’s double brought him to 26 goals this season.
Solomon had two goals days later in Champlin Park’s 2-1 overtime win over Holy Family. The Rebels ended the week with a 14-9-1 overall record.
Champlin Park boys hockey will play one game the following week, hosting Mounds View on Feb. 17 to conclude the regular season.
Most Popular
Comments / 0