State Boys Hockey: Alexandria halts Minneapolis’ return to State

In the final Class A quarterfinal on opening day of the Minnesota State High School League’s Boys Hockey State Tournament, No. 5-seeded Alexandria Area skated to a 4-1 victory over No. 4 Minneapolis late Wednesday, March 9, 2022 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

Click the video box on this page to see extended highlights of Alexandria’s win over Minneapolis in the Class A Boys State Hockey Quarterfinals

Senior forward Brycen Berg scored two goals to power the Cardinals (20-6-2) into the semifinals on Friday against top-seeded Hermantown. The victory dashed the championship hopes of Minneapolis (21-7-1), a co-op of seven schools from the Minneapolis City Conference that had become a sentimental favorite in making the state tournament for the first time since 1995.

Berg scored the first two goals for the Cardinals, scoring once in the first period and again in the second. His first goal came only 2:31 into the game, as he finished off a loose puck right in front of the net. He was assisted by sophomores Jack Lamski and Josiah Gronholz. But Minneapolis answered toward the end of the first period when senior forward Zander Zoia took a pass from sophomore John Bebler and buried it in the right corner of the net to tie it up.

While each team had a number of chances in the second period, the only scoring play came with two minutes remaining when Berg tipped in a shot from the blueline. Juniors Henry Ramstorf and Tyler Kludt had assists on the play.

In the third period, sophomore Gavin Olson found the bottom right corner of the net for the Cardinals after getting a pass from junior Joseph Lamski to make it 3-1. Minneapolis had a power-play opportunity late in the third period but was unable to convert. An empty-net goal from Joseph Lamski completed the scoring.

Senior goalie Teagan Pfeffer earned the win in net, making 25 saves. Minneapolis goalie Alex LaMont finished with 15 saves.

Courtesy: Minnesota State High School League