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Minnetonka explodes for three goals in the third period to defeat Shakopee

By Heather Rule, SportsEngine, 02/14/17, 10:00PM CST

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Three Skippers scored in the final period of the 4-1 victory over the Sabers. Minnetonka will face Eden Prairie on Friday in the section final.


Minnetonka goaltender Elizabeth Kubicek tallied 33 saves on 34 shots in the Skippers Section 2AA semifinal win over Shakopee on Tuesday night.  Minnetonka will take on Eden Prairie on Friday night at Ridder Arena.  Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine

Minnetonka goaltender Elizabeth Kubicek tallied 33 saves on 34 shots in the Skippers Class 2A, Section 2 semifinal win over Shakopee on Tuesday night. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine



Minnetonka (14-9-4) went 2-for-2 on the power play and killed off a 5-on-3 penalty in the third period on the way to a 4-1 victory over Shakopee (15-7-5) in the second Class 2A, Section 2 semifinal Tuesday at Braemar Ice Arena in Edina. 

It was scoreless through the first and tied 1-1 after two periods before the Skippers, ranked No. 7 in Class 2A by the state coaches' poll, broke away for the win. 

“That’s one of those games where you just don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Minnetonka coach Eric Johnson. “But players make plays and goalies make big saves, I guess.” 

The Skippers went on the power play nine seconds into the second period. They capitalized with 14 seconds left with the extra attacker, going up 1-0 when junior Chloe Behounek’s shot from the goal line found a way through the goaltender and trickled into the back of the net. It was her fourth goal of the season. 

The Sabers tied it up a few minutes later after crashing the net and getting multiple rebounds. Junior Sophie Stoffers finally got one to go in to make it a 1-1 game. 

That all-important next goal to make it 2-1 came on another power play for the Skippers. Senior defender Sarah McDonell’s shot from the point went in with 11 minutes left in the game. She skated out near the blue line and let the shot go while she was moving while Madison Fleming provided the screen in front. 

They practiced the exact play – taking shots while keeping their feet moving – the past week in practice, McDonnell said. 

Johnson gave a lot of the credit to McDonell for the Skippers grabbing the lead. She plays on both power-play units but is the captain of the second unit that was involved in both power-play goals Tuesday. 

“She was dynamite all night long,” Johnson said. “She was especially efficient on that power play.” 

The Skippers had to kill off 1:03 of 5-on-3 penalty time while clinging to their 2-1 lead in the third. Not long after they went back to full strength, senior Taylor Johnson crashed the net and put Minnetonka up 3-1 with 4:33 remaining. Chloe Lewis added an empty-netter. 

Killing off a penalty in a one-goal game is definitely nerve-wracking, McDonnell said. 

“I honestly got out on the ice, and I had to take a deep breath,” she said. “I was a little nervous.” 

In goal, 2017 Senior Goalie of the Year finalist Elizabeth Kubicek made 33 saves for the Skippers. Junior Camryn Noess stopped 28 pucks for the Sabers. 

“Our goalie… played great and kind of kept us in it early,” Johnson said. “And their goalie was playing well, too.” 

Kubicek credited the defense in front of her for clearing out the front of the net so she could make the initial saves and rebounds. On the 5-on-3 chance for the Sabers, she said she told herself she just had to keep in the game and stop the initial shots.

“Because one goal, the game would have been tied, and it could’ve been a totally different ending,” Kubicek said. 

The win sets up a rematch of last year’s section final between the Skippers and Eden Prairie at 8 p.m. Friday night at Ridder Arena on the University of Minnesota campus. 

Last year, Minnetonka was the No. 1 seed and lost 2-1 to the eventual state-champion Eagles. 


Minnetonka landed in the penalty box three times in the third period, including this holding penalty on Lacey Martin (12), but the Skippers were able to keep Shakopee scoreless. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine

First Report

Minnetonka (14-9-4) went 2-for-2 on the power play and killed off a 5-on-3 penalty in the third period on the way to a 4-1 victory over Shakopee (15-7-5) in the second Class 2A, Section 2 semifinal Tuesday at Braemar Ice Arena in Edina. 

The Skippers, ranked No. 7 in Class 2A by the state coaches' poll, went on the power play nine seconds into the second period. They capitalized with 14 seconds left with the extra attacker, going up 1-0 when junior Chloe Behounek’s shot from the goal line found a way through the goaltender and trickled into the back of the net. It was her fourth goal of the season. 

The Sabers tied it up a few minutes later after crashing the net and getting multiple rebounds. Junior Sophie Stoffers finally got the goal to make it a 1-1 game.

The all-important goal to make it 2-1 came again on the power play for the Skippers. Senior defender Sarah McDonell’s shot from the point went in with 11 minutes left in the game.

Minnetonka had to kill off 1:03 of 5-on-3 penalty time soon after the go-ahead goal, but when the Skippers went back to full strength, senior Taylor Johnson crashed the net and put Minnetonka up 3-1 with 4:33 remaining. Chloe Lewis added an empty netter.

In goal, 2017 Goalie of the Year finalist Elizabeth Kubicek made 33 saves for the Skippers. Junior Camryn Noess stopped 28 shots for the Sabers. 

The win sets up a rematch of last year’s section final between Minnetonka and Eden Prairie, the defending Class 2A state champion. The two teams face off at 8 p.m. Friday night at Ridder Arena on the University of Minnesota campus. 

A win would mean a fifth trip to the state tournament for the Skippers, who made the tourney four times between 2011 and 2015. 


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Shakopee celebrates their only goal of the game midway through the second period. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine

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