Throughout the whole state of Minnesota and beyond, Edina is known by one nickname: Cake Eaters. At a big tournament like state, it can be clear that everyone believes this. 

The Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament is the biggest highschool sporting event in the state. With almost 20,050 people in attendance at the Xcel Energy Center, almost everyone in there was rooting against Edina. 

“[Edina hate] is a lot of fun to hear at times—I mean, we’re booed more than anything, so it’s always enjoyable,” Edina Boys’ Hockey Head Coach Curt Giles said at the post semi-final game press conference.

The Edina Boys Hockey team finished their season in third place with a 22–2–7 record. On Friday March 7, Edina faced off against Moorhead in the state semi-finals. With intensity high as the Hornets tried to defend their state title, Xcel was filled with anticipation. 

“It was super exciting, anytime you get a chance to defend your title, super cool experience. It’s so special, playing in front of a crowd, playing in front of your classmates, teammates, parents, and family,” junior defender Sam Peckham said.

The state tournament brings many teams together that have played each other during the regular season, such as Edina and Moorhead. Both times the Hornets faced off the Spuds in the regular season, Moorhead took the win. “They’ve got quality players, they’ve been coached extremely well, and they stay in every game…A very resilient and a very good team,” Giles said.

This season for Edina was particularly eventful. “Although we didn’t get where we wanted, I thought that it was still a winning season. I thought a lot of people kind of wrote us off towards the middle of the season, where you had some struggles, but it was really great to get back to [third place],” junior goalie Chase Bjorgaard said.

One of the most important parts to Edina bouncing back and finishing the season off as they did is one simple thing, mental toughness.

“Your mindset is really the thing that determines how much of the physical, the tactical, and the technical shows up in a state tournament,” Premier Sports Licensed Psychologist Matthew Mikesell said.

With so much pressure, stress, or even hate throughout the tournament and the season as a whole, mentality is key to stay focused and work towards goals that may have been set to reach.

The semi-final game started off with even play throughout the first half of the first period, with both teams fighting for control of the puck. With about 10 minutes into the period, junior forward Mason West scores with an assist from freshman defenseman Becker Wenkus. West scored with a high glove side shot from the top of the circle, but this period was far from over. 

In less than two minutes, Edina failed to get the puck out on a zone exit, shot down low from a sharp turn angle, Moorhead tied the game with a goal from forward Zac Zimmerman. Less than a minute later, Moorhead forward and Mr. Hockey winner Mason Kraft scored assisted by forward Max Cullen. Just three minutes later, West scored again. With a shot by junior forward Casey Vandertop, the puck tipped off of West to complete the goal. 

Fifteen seconds later, Edina sophomore forward Bode McConnell enters the penalty box for an interference, along with Moorhead’s #3 for hooking. Less than 20 seconds later, West ends the period with an unassisted goal from the top of the circle. 

First period ended with high energy, and a total of five goals being scored. With West completing a first period hat trick, Edina seemed hopeful. “[Hat trick] felt good, but [we] knew that we were playing a good team and they weren’t going to hold back,” West said. 

Second period started off with low action, as both teams displayed strong defense with no obvious leader in possession. Eight minutes and 15 seconds into the second period, there was a penalty on senior defenseman Charlie Velner for tripping. With a powerplay for Moorhead, there were a total of six shots on the Hornet’s net as Edina’s defense was able to keep the puck out. Shortly after the penalty expired, Moorhead #8 Brooks Cullen scored Moorhead’s third goal of the game. The second period concluded with a 3–3 tie between both teams.

The final period began with intensity high as the Hornets received some heavy hits from Moorhead. Energy level was prominent with the puck traveling quickly both ways across the ice. Eight minutes in, the Hornets were put on the powerplay and released a good amount of shot attempts, however, they were unable to get past Moorhead senior goalie Charlie Stenejem. 16 minutes in, Peckham received a penalty for interference. A minute and a half later Moorhead scored, making the score 3–4 with Moorhead in the lead. With the last minute of play underway, Edina battled and gave it their all with many scoring chances and shots on net. In the end, both teams fought, but Edina was unable to tie up the game. 

Although Edina did not make it to the final, on March 8. they were able to place third in the state against Saint Thomas Academy. “We were a fast paced, skilled team that wanted to win,” senior captain defenseman Robby Hoch said. 

After a loss in the state tournament, especially after winning the championship last year, it can be hard. “A lot of times you’ve just got to be with the team. I’ve been with them through the wins and losses, so we kind of stick together through it all,” Bjorgaard said. 

From coming into the tournament as the fifth seed to bouncing back and ending third in the state, the whole Edina Boys’ Hockey team gave it their all and fought hard. “Super proud of our team and how we battled through adversity all year, it was a super fun [season],” West said.  

All in all, the Edina Boys Hockey season ended on a high note. “I give them a lot of credit for their mental toughness, going through some of the situations this year,” Giles said.

As a team, they worked hard together to get to the state tournament, getting through adversity together. “You have so many memories that you have in the locker room, but also make so much progress on the ice. It’s just super fun. I can definitely say that I can call these guys my brothers forever,” Peckham said.