A seven-goal first-half offensive explosion was enough of a high performance for HP SR Sections 2/6 to take home the 2021 Ted Brill Great 8 title game, defeating HP 18 Sections 4/5 by a 7-2 final score at Doug Woog Arena.

Sullivan Scholle (Chaska) scored a pair of goals 28 seconds apart midway through the first half to put the game out of reach. Goals in pairs were en vogue for the seniors, who scored twice in under a minute on three separate occasions Sunday.

HP SR Sections 2/6 allowed a Great 8 Tournament-low five goals in the three games entering Sunday’s game. The defensive outlook and goaltending from Zach Hayes (Eden Prairie) and Carson Limesand (Benilde-St. Margaret’s) continued against the top HP 18 team, made up of the best juniors in Sections 4 & 5 born in 2003.

Hayes stopped all 9 first-half shots faced, including a couple Grade A chances when the game was scoreless. Limesand, meanwhile, made 8 saves on 10 shots, allowing goals to HP 18 Sections 4/5 forwards Owen VanTassel (Centennial) and Barrett Hall (Gentry Academy).

The HP SR group jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening 10 minutes with goals by McCabe Dvorak (St. Louis Park), Jake Schneider (Wayzata) and Kevin Enriquez (Edina). 

After Scholle’s two goals, Minnetonka teammates Charles Kiffin and Graham Harris scored 29 seconds apart from one another to make it 7-0. 

Six HP SR players scored multiple points for Sections 2 & 6 in the title game, led by three-point efforts for Richard Brown (Eden Prairie) and Dvorak.

Hall finished with two points for Section 4 & 5 HP 18s. Croix Kochendorfer (East Ridge) went eight for eight in stopping second half shots.

Box Score

Additional Sunday Games:

Senior Sections 7 & 8 - 4
HP 18 Sections 2 & 6 - 2

Jacob Snyder (Duluth Denfeld) did not allow a goal, stopping all seven shots faced, and Maxwell Dronen (Moorhead) lit the lamp once each half as the seniors took the win and a third place finish Sunday afternoon. The 18s took an early 1-0 lead when Michael Doshan (Mound Westonka) scored before Hunter Bischoff (Grand Rapids) and Dronen’s pair put the seniors ahead for good. Michael DiBrito (Fergus Falls) had a two-point (1 goal - 1 assist) game for the 18s.

Box Score

HP 18 Sections 7 & 8 - 5
Senior Sections 4 & 5 - 4

The Section 7/8 group held a lead for 30.5 seconds. Fortunately for them, it was the game’s final 30.5 seconds after Issac Baker (St. Cloud) went backhand top shelf over 2021 Frank Brimsek Award winner Jack Wieneke (Maple Grove) for the game-winning goal. Earlier, Max Strand (Roseau) needed 15 seconds to turn a 4-2 deficit into a tie game. Caden Kjelstrom (Northern Lakes) scored a pair of goals for Sections 4/5 while Nolan Lacrosse (Stillwater) made 14 saves on 15 shots.

Box Score

Senior Sections 1 & 3 - 6
HP 18 Sections 1 & 3 - 4 

Logan Lukasezck’s (Farmington) goal with 1:20 remaining in the second half gave the HP Seniors the lead for good. The group trailed 4-2 with nine minutes remaining after Alex Lachenmayer (Eagan) scored for the 18s. Blake Ulve (Albert Lea) and Zachary Bade (Rosemount) helped tie things for the Seniors in a game featuring 10 goals from 10 different players.

Box Score