Duluth East Stings the Hornets: Requiem for a Dynasty

It wasn’t what we were hoping for. After dreams of a third consecutive Minnesota Class AA boys’ hockey state championship had run through Edina High School hallways for almost a year, it all came to a deflating end with a 3-1 loss to Duluth East in the semifinals.

The EHS student section was quickly fired up after a first period goal from senior Patrick Haug. Even after Duluth East junior Luke Dow tied it up a few minutes later, Edina’s optimism remained.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as the Altmann brothers of Duluth East scored early in the second, and then in the third to go up by two. With seemingly all of the men, women, and children present in St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center screaming with joy at every goal against Edina, it was a bitter end to a sweet attempt at three championship run.

As easy as it is to be upset, soon it will be just as easy to remember the better days at the Xcel. For outgoing seniors of Edina High School, don’t fret on last night, rather remember all the good times of getting out of school, watching the boys win (or even sometimes lose), and being able to proudly say you’re from Edina High School in the face of thousands of fans cheering against you.

To the players who made it all happen over the past few years, thank you for giving us all something to cheer for. In a competitive city like Edina, it is hard to find something everyone can agree on, but for one week a year, we all knew whose side we were on.

The Hornets take on Eden Prairie for third place tonight at 4:00 p.m. at the Xcel Energy Center.