Hill-Murray Pioneer Hockey: Game 2008-02-26

First Period
HM, Nick Widing (Alex Kelly, Tyler Zepeda), 1:19.
HM, Paul Prescott (Jonathan Stadler), 1:58.
HM, Dan Sova (Dan Cecka, Isaac Kohls), 3:15.
HM, Dan Cecka (Isaac Kohls, Dan Sova), 11:54 (pp).
HM, Dan Cecka (Jordan Johnson, Bo Dolan), 15:26.

Second Period
MV, Zach Jacobson (Spencer Menk, Brock Pedersen), 10:10 (pp).
HM, Jeff Westerhaus (Bo Dolan, Nick Widing), 14:48 (pp).

Third Period
HM, Ryan Furne (Dan Cecka, Bo Dolan), 4:24.

Shots by period
Hill-Murray	18	11	6	-	35
Mounds View	3	15	7	-	25

Goalies Minutes GA Saves Result
HM - Joe Phillippi 51 1 24 W
MV - Tony Civello 51 7 28 L

Power Plays Goals Attempts Time
Hill-Murray 2 5 7:35
Mounds View 1 3 5:41

A five-goal barrage in the first period sent Hill-Murray on its way to a 7-1 Section 4AA semifinal victory. Dan Cecka scored twice and assisted on two goals, and Joe Phillippi backstopped the win with 24 saves.

Any spectator not in his or her seat at 6:00 promptly would have arrived to see a 3-0 Hill-Murray lead. The Pioneers scored three goals in the first 3:15 and put on a passing clinic in tallying 18 shots to Mounds View's three in the first period. Nick Widing gave Hill-Murray the lead at 1:19 on a wrist shot from the left circle, and Paul Prescott's 30-foot wrister went in before the two minute mark. Dan Sova then one-timed Cecka's pass from behind the net into the upper corner to make it 3-0.

Cecka scored the last two goals of the period, one a power play goal off a feed from Isaac Kohls and another on a breakaway after taking a long clearing pass from Jordan Johnson in stride.

Mounds View mustered 15 shots in the middle frame and gave Phillippi some work to do, including an acrobatic save to pluck the puck out of midair after a long shot had deflected into the air and was headed goalward. Zach Jacobson scored the Mustangs' lone goal, jamming in a shot off the right post on the power play.

Hill-Murray scored its second with the man advantage to keep Mounds View from getting back into the game. Jeff Westerhaus scored from a carom off the end boards of Bo Dolan's long shot.

The last goal of the game came courtesy of Ryan Furne, which also made the margin six goals and put the game on fast time.

Hill-Murray will play White Bear Lake in the section championship for the third consecutive year. The Bears defeated Roseville 4-3 by scoring twice in the final six minutes and surviving a Roseville penalty shot with 34 seconds left after a defenseman had knocked the net off intentionally.