Minnetonka boys hockey's strong second period leads it past Wayzata

The Skippers scored four goals in the second period to down the Trojans

Vote now: Who should be SBLive's Minnesota Athlete of the Week? (Jan. 24-30)

Minnesota boys and girls hockey top performers of the week (Jan. 24-30)

SBLive's Minnesota boys' hockey Power 25 (Jan. 31)

---

PLYMOUTH, Minn. — The No. 3 Minnetonka Skippers defeated the No. 7 Wayzata Trojans 4-2 on Thursday night at Plymouth Ice arena.

Wayzata scored an early goal in the first period, but Minnetonka’s offense was too much for the Trojans as they scored four goals in the second period on its way to a 4-2 victory.

Here are the takeaways from the game:

Second period pressure

After a flat first period from Minnetonka, a period which saw its only put five shots on net, the Skippers got to work in the second period, scoring four goals from four different players. 

“We scored four goals in that second period, but I think we could have potentially had eight or nine,” Minnetonka head coach Sean Goldsworthy said. 

The Skippers used their high flying offensive to get shots to the net which kept Wayzata on its back foot for nearly the whole period. Minnetonka started the scoring early in the second by taking advantage of one of the few power play opportunities it got. 

A beautiful tic-tac-toe play, which started with junior forward Gavin Garry and ended with junior defensemen John Stout putting it past the Trojan goaltender, saw the Skippers even the score at one. 

After that the goals kept coming for the Skippers as Hagan Burrows, Alex Lunski and Ashton Schultz all got in the scoring column for Minnetonka. The Skippers used their speed to their advantage as they were able to get shots on net by beating the Trojans to the puck. 

“You know when you're attacking in transition and winning puck battles against Wayzata you're doing something right.” Goldsworthy said. 

The Trojans were able to get on the board late in the second period from a quick wrist shot by Junior forward Luke Miller, which got the trojans briefly within one goal but Minnetonka answered right back just 23 seconds later to take a 4-2 lead into the third period.

Lockdown defense from the Skippers

It's one thing to get a lead in the tough Lake conference, but it's another thing to try and keep that lead. Minnetonka used its hustle and grit to stop many pucks from getting to the net. The Skippers yielded just 19 shots on the night, and only eight in the third period. 

“Playing against us is hard. We control the puck for the majority of the game and we only let up about 17 shots a game on average” Goldsworhy said. 

The chances Wayzata did get were quality chances. Minnetonka goalie Kaizer Nelson stood tall stopping numerous two-on-ones along with other good opportunities that the trojans created. Goldsworthy had nothing but praise when assessing his goaltenders play. 

“[Nelson] is really mentally tough and focused for all three periods of hockey. He stays in the game and makes plays when he has too,” Goldsworthy said.

It wasn't just the goaltender who was making the plays for his team. The few times that the Trojans did get shot opportunities, they were shut down before they could get to the goal. The Skippers defensemen did an outstanding job at stopping the puck before it could get to the net, which ended up being the difference in the game.

Minnetonka will look to make it 10 straight as it takes on a red-hot Buffalo squad on Saturday. Wayzata will look to snap a 5 game winless streak as they'll host Grand Rapids on Saturday.

Here is our photo gallery from the game.

Minnetonka vs. Wayzata

Photos by Earl Ebensteiner