Hornets Take Down Bemidji, Advance to Semifinals

After weeks of anticipation and build-up, the Edina Hornets finally hit the ice for the first Class AA game in the boys’ hockey state tournament. The Hornets took on the Lumberjacks from Bemidji, who had their first showing in the tournament in over 29 years. The Hornets, the number two seed, were favored to win over the unseeded Lumberjacks.

Senior Matt Masterman started things off right away with the first goal of the game, followed by two impressive scores by senior Parker Mismash and junior Garrett Wait. By the end the first period, the Hornets were in the lead 3-0.

The Lumberjacks didn’t waste any time during their second period power play. Bemidji’s Rocky Copiskey and Jake Leitner both scored less than 30 seconds apart. However, Edina’s Bram Scheerer gave the Hornets a rebound, bringing the score to 4-2 with 14 minutes left in the second period.

Masterman eventually scored his second goal of the game and 25th of the season in the second period, which ended with the Hornets leading 5-2 with a 24-10 shot advantage.

The third period started with power plays by both teams, leading to no score changes. Edina senior and 2015 Mr. Hockey finalist Dylan Malmquist left the ice after taking a hit in the back of the leg. Sophomore Ben Copeland took his place.

Things started to really heat up at the end of the third period when the Lumberjacks’ Jack Johnson scored past Edina’s Kobi Boe, bringing them up 5-3. It seemed the Lumberjacks were set on a comeback with just minutes left on the clock. With just 54 seconds left, Bemidji scored again.

However, junior Casey Dornbach showed what the Hornets are all about when he slid the puck in an empty net with just seconds left in the game, ending the game with a final score of 6-4.

The Hornets will continue their push for a back-to-back-to-back victory tomorrow night against Duluth East, who just took down Saint Thomas Academy, at 6:00 p.m.