The atmosphere was raucous at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Thursday night. Elk River was in its first Class 2A state tournament game since 2005. The student section dressed in red as the band played the Elk River rouser for the whole state to hear. Its opponent, the Edina Hornets, are frequent competitors for state championships and were the Class 2A runners-up last season.
The lack of state tournament experience for Elk River benefited the Hornets, as No. 3 Edina (24-4-1), the highest-ranked remaining team in the Class 2A tournament, cruised to a 6-2 win over the Elks (18-10-1).
Elks head coach Ben Gustafson said that despite the loss, he's very proud of how far Elk River has come this season.
"Elk River hockey's in a good spot," Gustafson said.
Edina opened the scoring at 3:20 of the first period when freshman forward Freddie Schneider poked a rebound past Elks junior goalie Gavin Greniuk. The Hornets buzzed in the Elks defensive zone all night long. After taking a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, Edina scored five more goals to go up 6-0 with just over three minutes remaining in the second period.
Elks senior forward Kole Mears said Edina's speed sets it apart from other top teams in Minnesota.
"They come out fast," Mears said. "[In] both games we played them, they scored three in the second [period] the first time we played them, and then four tonight. The second period was a struggle for us against them this year."
The Elks got on the board at 14:47 of the second when senior forward Danny Babcock made a spectacular move and shot the puck top shelf past Hornets senior goalie Joe Bertram. The highlight-reel goal was Elk River's first state tournament goal in 19 years.
Mears scored at 14:52 of the third period to cut Edina's lead to 6-2, but Edina held on to advance to the Class 2A state semifinal tomorrow night at 8 p.m. at Xcel Energy Center against No. 16 Grand Rapids (18-11-0).
"I loved the way our kids competed in the third period," Gustafson said. "We challenged our kids after the second period to go out there and try and win the third period, which they did. I couldn't be more proud of them for that."
Offensive Player of the Game
Hornets sophomore forward Casey Vandertop scored a hat trick for Edina.
Defensive Player of the Game
Bertram wasn't tested much, as he stopped 12 of Elk River's 14 shots for his 22nd win of the season.
What's next
The Elks will face White Bear Lake (20-8-1) in the Class 2A consolation semifinal tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Aldrich Arena in Maplewood.
Towards the end of the game, the KSTC Channel 45 broadcast ran a flashback segment recognizing Elk River's lone state championship in 2001. Gustafson was a junior on that team, and while it's been more than 20 years since Elk River won the state championship, he's amazed at what the team has achieved in 2024.
"We've got a group of 20 players in that dressing room: two seniors who were cut as sophomores, two seniors who didn't play hockey as 10th graders, and not a single player in that room in all of youth hockey...ever had a winning record," Gustafson said. "That's the truth. For this team to be here and for how far they have come as hockey players and as people, and committing to something that's bigger than themselves, is remarkable."
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