Hill-Murray Pioneer Hockey: Game 2010-03-12

First Period
Mtka, Andrew Prochno (Connor Ryan), 12:09.
HM, Chris Casto, 16:32.

Second Period
No Scoring

Third Period
No Scoring

Overtime
No Scoring

Second Overtime
No Scoring

Third Overtime
No Scoring

Fourth Overtime
Mtka, Erik Baskin (Sam Rothstein, Troy Hesketh), 2:31.

Shots by period
Hill-Murray	7	11	6	19	-	43
Minnetonka	6	2	1	20	-	29

Goalies Minutes GA Saves Result
HM - Tim Shaughnessy 87 2 27 L
Mtka - Jim Kruger 87 1 42 W

Power Plays Goals Attempts Time
Hill-Murray 0 0 0:00
Minnetonka 0 0 0:00

For Hill-Murray, this one had everything but the right ending. Minnetonka's title run will continue against the only team to beat them this season, but they'll have to find all the energy reserves they can against Edina. Needless to say, the 2010 late semifinal will be remembered for a long time.

With both teams exhausted, the winning goal would need a fortunate bounce. It came off the stick of Erik Baskin at 2:31 of the fourth overtime, on a backhand shot from the side of the net that found a hole in Tim Shaughnessy's pads.

The only other Minnetonka goal came way back in the first period, when Andrew Prochno made a nifty move and wristed a shot past Shaughnessy's blocker.

For the second night in a row, Hill-Murray had an answer in the last minute of the first period. Chris Casto made up for being beaten on the Skippers' goal by scoring on a backhand after his long shot caromed off the glass and in front of the goal. And nobody scored again for five full periods.

Both teams came in with highly touted defenses and neither disappointed. There was tight checking throughout and few open chances. Jim Kruger was the busier of the two goalies in regulation, with 23 saves to Shaughnessy's 8. Minnetonka could muster only 9 shots in regulation and 3 in the last two periods. When Kevin Becker's centering pass found Willie Faust in the waning seconds of regulation, a goal would have capped a sterling performance by the Pioneers, but Kruger slid across to make his best save.

Minnetonka finally started to assert its offense in the overtimes. Max Gardiner had several dangerous shots for the Skippers, and Kevin Becker had the best chances of overtime for the Pioneers. But again there were few open shots, and only one 2-on-1, which was broken up by Hill-Murray's J.D. Cotroneo.

No penalties were called the entire game. It was the first four overtime game in Hill-Murray hockey history and their longest game by nearly 11 minutes. Minnetonka lost a four overtime game in the 1985 tourney that was suspended after three overtimes and resumed the next morning.