ZEPHYRS COME UP EMPTY - Pioneer Press

CLASS 1A BOYS STATE HOCKEY QUARTERFINAL >> ST. CLOUD CATHEDRAL 3, MAHTOMEDI 0

ZEPHYRS COME UP EMPTY

Defending champs douse Mahtomedi’s title hopes in quarters

Mahtomedi forward Brayden Fuerst, right, passes the puck in front of St. Cloud Cathedral defenseman Ian Bacik (34) in the second period of Wednesday’s Class A quarterfinal game against St. Cloud Cathedral in the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. CRAIG LASSIG — SPECIAL TO THE PIONEER PRESS

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By Dane Mizutani

dmizutani@pioneerpress.com

There’s something about the state tournament that usually brings out the best in the Mahtomedi boys hockey team.

Unfortunately for the Zephyrs, they ran into a buzzsaw known as St. Cloud Cathedral on Wednesday afternoon. The defending Class A champion beat Mahtomedi 3-0 at the Xcel Energy Center to advance to Friday’s semifinals.

“We fully expected that we were going to win this game,” Zephyrs head coach Jeff Poeschl said. “There’s a lot of disappointment in the room.”

As disappointing as the final score was for Mahtomedi, the fact that the Zephyrs reached the state tournament was a victory in and of itself.

“You have to look at the big picture,” Poeschl said. “This is a group that has worked hard together and has overcome obstacles.”

As much as a grueling schedule helped prepare the No. 7 seed Zephyrs (11-16-2) for its biggest test so far, the No. 2 seed Crusaders (19-8-2) used a masterful display of defense to take the next step in their quest for a repeat.

It only took a few minutes for St. Cloud Cathedral to jump ahead in the first period as senior forward Jaeger Wood dug a puck out below the red line, then found senior forward Joey Gillespie, who cashed in to make it 1-0.

“It’s a game of bounces, and we needed something to go well for us early on,” Poeschl said. “We got a couple of chances and it didn’t go in.”

The Crusaders extended their lead midway through the second period courtesy of freshman forward Bo Schmidt. After possessing the puck in the neutral zone, he muscled his way up the ice with a reverse check, then finished the job by firing a snipe top shelf to make it 2-0.

In desperate need of a response, Mahtomedi earned a power play midway through the third period, positioning themselves to get back into the game. Instead, St. Cloud Cathedral scored a shorthanded goal to put the game away for good.

The sequence featured an incredible individual effort form senior forward John Hirschfeld, who drove the net on the penalty kill, then found Gillespie on the doorstep to stretch the lead to 3-0.

Asked about facing the dynamic duo of Hirschfeld and Gillespie, senior goaltender Wes Strub said heaped praise on both players, noting the Zephyrs needed to execute their plan better in order to slow them down.

“They’re as good as it gets from what we’ve seen this season,” Strub said “They’re dangerous players, and we knew if we gave them time and space, they were going to put it int he back of the net.”

Though it certainly wasn’t the result Mahtomedi was looking for, the future appears to be bright for the program, with a number of underclassmen getting experience in the state tournament that could pay off down the road.

“I hope the guys who are returning next season get the opportunity to be where we are right now,” Strub said. “Hopefully the outcome will be better for them.”

As for this particular team?

“These guys are going to remember their teammates and this season will have lasting memories for all of them,” Poeschl said. “I tried to help them remember that and give them a little bit of perspective.”