Edina coach Laura Slominski thought Hornets freshman Emily Oden suffered a knee injury after watching the forward fall to ice late in Friday’s game against Hill-Murray.
Maybe the Pioneers did too, as Oden surprised nearly everyone at Braemar Ice Arena when she popped up with the puck and pushed past the defense to score game-winning goal in Edina’s 4-3 victory over Hill-Murray.
It was Oden’s second goal of the game and came with 27 seconds remaining the third period. The Hornets, ranked No. 5 in the Class 2A coaches poll, improved to 7-1-1, while the fourth-ranked Pioneers dropped to 2-2.
Defeating Hill-Murray was the most significant moment of the season for Oden, who said she wanted to avoid repeating the result of last year’s regular-season finale against the Pioneers, which ended in a 1-1 tie.
“I think (the victory is) the highest point of this season, so far,” she said.
Oden set up the score by maneuvering with puck along the sideboards to the high slot. She then fired off a wicked wrist shot that beat Pioneers senior goal Leah Patrick top shelf.
“For her to have that moment was huge for her and her confidence and her future,” Slominski said.
Oden’s future looks bright. She is second on the team in goals (10) and points (15), and her performance shows Edina’s offense can produce goals in high-pressure situations without relying on Hornets’ leading scorer Taylor Williamson (18 goals, 28 points).
Williamson, a forward who is usually on the same line with Oden, left the game with 5:19 to play in the third period after receiving a 10-minute game misconduct penalty for jawing at a Hill-Murray player who was down on the ice.
Overcoming the loss of Williamson to defeat the Pioneers could serve as the season’s turning point, Slominski said.
“I was really proud of the way our team didn’t let it frazzle them, and they really just stepped up and took it to the end for us,” Slominski said.
Williamson, a Gophers commit, had a relatively quiet night. The senior co-captain tallied two assists, including one on Oden’s goal late in the second period that gave the Hornets a 3-2 lead.
Williamson has assisted on three of Oden’s goals this season. However, Oden would rather give a pass to Williamson than receive one.
“When I make a pass to her and she scores, it makes me happier,” Oden said.
Oden’s offensive skills, along with her performance against Hill-Murray, should help keep opponents from focusing solely on stopping Williamson, Slominski said.
“If you end up being a team with one player, that’s concerning,” Slominski said. “Hopefully we continue to hurt teams other ways if they continue to put that much pressure on (Williamson).”
