Hockey Day in Minnesota: Kyle Rau’s hat trick the difference as Eden Prairie holds on to win 4-3 over Hermantown

Hermantown Hawks – (15-1) ~ recent score: 10-0 win over Ashland, WI

Vs.

Eden Prairie Eagles – (12-2) ~ recent score: 11-0 win over Bloomington Kennedy

As a part of Hockey Day Minnesota, was the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships on Lake Nokomis which was featured in the wonderful documentary film, Pond Hockey.  If you ever get a chance, watch that film as it has some terrific lessons to parents and perhaps hockey programs across the nation if they wish to improve the skills of their players as well as increase the fun factor that may be lost in organized practices. The U.S. Pond Hockey Championships features many men and women whose high school hockey days have past them by but where they play the game once again.  Its not just for the anonymous former high school players but former college hockey stars and NHL’ers have laced up their skates one more time in an effort to win the Golden Shovel.

This matchup is almost ‘old school’ as they say which pits a Northern hockey power in the Hermantown Hawks who were the champions of Class 1A last year against the champions of Class 2A in the Eden Prairie Eagles.  A while back, it would’ve been possible for both of these teams to challenge one another for a state title when it was a one-class tournament.  This brings up old memories of the great small town / big city matchups of Warroad vs. Edina and Eveleth vs. St. Paul Johnson.  It is part of what turned the Boys High School Hockey Tournament into an institution and a part of the culture in Minnesota.

Hermantown is having another very solid season, sporting a 15-1 record but one can question a bit some of the quality of schedule the Hawks have had this season.  The reason their schedule can be question is they have battled primarily Class 1A schools with notable victories over #6 ranked (1A) Virginia/Mount Iron/Buhl, #7 ranked (1A) Thief River Falls, and #8 ranked (1A) St. Cloud Cathedral but haven’t been nearly as dominant against the few 2A schools they’ve faced in a one-goal win over Grand Rapids and a 2-1 loss to Andover.  However the Hawks are still a high octane team that certainly can score goals but they will most certainly face their toughest test of the 2009-10 season in Eden Prairie.  The Eagles are having another very strong season as they have been successful despite a tough schedule.  Eden Prairie has battled its way to the top of the Lake Conference, with just two defeats to two Classic Lake conference opponents in #1 ranked (2A) Minnetonka and #11 ranked (2A) Edina which is coincidentally the conference the Eagles will be joining next season.  Eden Prairie are led by junior Kyle Rau, the brother of Minnesota Wild farmhand Chad Rau, who has 24 goals and 41 points in just 12 games.   Yet if there is a bright spot for Hermantown, the Eagles are basically a one-line team scoring wise and if they can manage to hold down Rau and senior Mitch Rogge (13 goals, 29 points) they could have a very good chance to win this game.  So can the Hermantown Hawks earn a win in front of the hometown fans, or will Eden Prairie sour the outdoor Hockey Day in Minnesota showcase for them?

The Hermantown Hawks would get their forecheck working early as they also asserted themselves physically against Eden Prairie.  There were some great battles for the puck as Hermantown’s Charlie Comnick was showing intensity early on.  Eden Prairie was finally able to break out, as Joe Kerker carried the puck up the ice into the Hawks’ zone but was unable to get a shot off as the whistle would blow as there was a collision near the crease and Tyler Ampe‘s mask would come off.  Hermantown was dictating the pace of play, but just one little mistake as the Hawks got caught pinching defensively and Kyle Rau would race up the ice and he’d beat Ampe 5-hole on a pretty breakaway.  The Eagles would have another great scoring chance soon thereafter as Kyle Rau set up Mike Erickson for a one-timer that rang off the right post.  Hermantown would try to respond and a great pass got Andrew Ford out of position but unfortunately for the Hawks they were not able to get a stick on the loose puck to take advantage of the situation.  The Hawks would find themselves bottled up a bit in its own zone as Eden Prairie got its forecheck going.  A few minutes later the Eagles would create another great 2-on-1 as Mike Erickson showed great jump on a rush before sliding a pass to Mitch Rogge who ripped a shot high and wide of the goal.  Eden Prairie continued to use its superior speed against Hermantown, as Joe Kerker would move in and attempt to jam a puck through the pads of Tyler Ampe but he held the post strong and keep his team trailing only by one.  Moments later it was Kyle Rau drawing a penalty as he was tripped up as he tried to dangle around Jeff Paczynski giving the Eagles a power play.  Despite being shorthanded it was Hermantown with the first good scoring chance of the Eden Prairie power play as Adam Krause would drag the puck around an Eagles’ defender before being knocked to the ice by the backcheck of Kyle Rau.  Hermantown’s penalty kill did a great job of moving its feet and denying the Eagles from having space and time and taking away the passing lanes and not allowing Eden Prairie to add to its lead.  The Hawks would re-establish the forecheck as they were mucking well along the boards but the hard work was not being repaid by the creation of scoring chances to test Andrew Ford.  The Hawks finally were able to dig the puck out from along the boards where the ice was really slow and Adam Krause moved in and fired a shot just wide but Hermantown kept working and Krause just stopped and rifled a shot that Ford stopped but he gave up a rebound that Cody Christopherson to tap home the loose puck to tie the game 1-1.  With the big hometown crowd back into the game, the Hawks had more reason to be excited as Charlie Comnick split the Eagles defense for a breakaway only to be thwarted by the growing layer of snow that caused the puck to bounce not allowing him to get a shot off.  Both teams would skate back to their lockerooms, tied at one going into the 2nd period.

Hermantown would waste little time at the start of the second as Adam Krause would chip a shot towards the Eagles goal as it was bouncing puck was not controlled by Andrew Ford and with four Eden Prairie defenders around him it was Krause banging home the loose biscuit to put the Hawks up 2-1.  The goal seemed to demoralize the Eagles a bit, but they would try to ramp up their skating to strike back but the Hawks were moving well and able to stymie their attempts to establish the rush.  Eden Prairie was persistent, establishing their forecheck and the Eagles top line kept taking its chances in close that Tyler Ampe was struggling with, as Mitch Rogge and eventually the puck would be taken by Kyle Rau who wrapped a shot that climbed the stick of Ampe and in tying the game at 2-2.  The Eagles really would start to dominate puck possession as they forechecked well and the Hawks would be caught standing and watching a bit as Eden Prairie set up Dan Molenaar would blast a shot from the point that missed wide.  A few minutes later, the Eagles would really start swarming around the Hawks’ crease where Tyler Ampe was just able to reach to keep the puck out of his net on a few point-blank range chances by Eden Prairie.  Over the next few minutes, both teams struggled to find time and space as they challenged each other well through the neutral zone.  Hermantown’s Brian LeBlanc, the brother of St. Cloud State’s Drew LeBlanc would take an interference penalty give the Eagles its 2nd power play of the game.  It would prove to be a costly penalty.  On the power play Eden Prairie moved the puck from the half wall out to the point where Dan Molenaar would fling a wrist shot that just trickled through and over the goal line to give the Eagles a 3-2 lead.  The Eagles continued to attack, and their forecheck would draw the Hawks’ defense down low where Eden Prairie worked it back out to the point where Curt Rau pulled the trigger on a wrist shot that was stopped by Ampe and Kyle Rau was there to tap home the rebound to give himself the hat trick and his team a two-goal lead.  Hermantown clearly was struggling emotionally with the quick Eden Prairie goals and the feet were no longer moving, yet the Eagles would give the Hawks perhaps a reason to perk up as bad penalty away from the play by senior Jimmy Stewart gave Hermantown its first power play of the game.  It would prove to be a costly power play as the Hawks would cut the Eagles lead to one as Jeff Paczynski held the puck in the offensive zone and then unloaded a cannon from the point that beat Ford.  Eden Prairie had to be feeling as though the Hawks were on the cusp of tying the game as the walked off the ice at the end of the 2nd period.

In the 3rd period, a Hawks power play was squandered by an interference call and this nearly led to the Eagles increasing their lead as Mitch Rogge and Kyle Rau buzzed near their net forcing Hermantown’s Tyler Ampe to come up with some big saves.  Eden Prairie just seemed to have better legs at this point in the game.  The Eagles switched goaltenders, swapping Andrew Ford for senior Matt Halloran.  Halloran would be tested early as Adam Krause would get behind the defense and he’d be forced to dive for a loose puck outside his crease.  Moments later, it was Chad Bannor blistering a shot from the point that was gloved by Halloran.  Eden Prairie did its best to play rope-a-dope as he tried to force the puck deep into the Hermantown zone and make them bring the puck up the full length of the ice.  After a few great close in chances, one off a breakaway by senior Andrew Oakes who lifted a shot high over the net, and a late chance in the closing seconds by Adam Krause just wouldn’t find the twine and Eden Prairie held on for a 4-3 victory.

Hermantown has little to feel bad about after their toughest test of the season, proving that an elite 1A team can certainly push an elite 2A team to the limit.  In many ways this game would be a feature of two great forwards; Adam Krause of Hermantown who probably made quite an impression as he played very well against a quality class 2A opponent as he showed great hands, and strength on the puck and will no doubt be another quality player for the University of Minnesota: Duluth.  For the Eagles, Kyle Rau just demonstrated some outstanding speed, hands and scoring touch who is certainly one of the elite players in the state.  Some credit should be given to Matt Halloran who entered the game in the 3rd period for the Eagles, and provided quality minutes coming up with some big saves down the stretch when Hermantown was throwing everything they had at Eden Prairie.  There is little doubt that both Hermantown and Eden Prairie will be strong contenders to earn a trip to the State Tournament in March.