Benilde-St. Margaret's Boys' Hockey

The Grant Besse Show tore through Mounds View and, after a five-point performance, third-ranked Benilde-St. Margaret's left with an 8-2 win over No. 17 Mounds View.

The early going was tough for the Red Knights but Chase Jungels' rebound goal four minutes, 45 seconds into the game gave the visitors a lead, which they took deep into the second period.

Tucker Gran's power-play goal just 1:40 into the second period tied the game but Besse, the state's Class AA leader in goals, and Labosky, the state's assist leader, reversed roles when Labosky buried a rebound of one of Besse's 11 shots on goal of the night to take the lead for good.

Besse then scored goals 26, 27 and 28 of the season, the final one coming 1:58 into the final period, for his 18th career hat trick.

His first goal came with 5:50 to play in the second period when Labosky forced a turnover in the right faceoff circle and found Besse, who managed to get open in the slot and he one-timed Labosky's pass past goalie Brandon Smith.

Less than four minutes later, the lead went to 4-1 on Besse's second goal as Patrick Graham gained control of the puck in the BSM zone and made a blueline-to-blueline pass to Besse along the right-wing boards. He skated into the right circle and snapped off a wrist shot for his 43rd career multiple-goal game.

It took less than two minutes into the second period for Besse to complete the hat trick as T.J. Moore created a turnover in the neutral zone and Johnny Austin collected the loose puck near his own blueline.

A quick pass to Besse sent the school's all-time leading score into the Mounds View zone on the left side, from where me skated into the slot, deked Smith to the ice and backhanded the puck pass the prone netminder.

The Mustangs responded with another power-play goal by Gran at 5:48 but, just 14 seconds later, Evan Fleming took a backhand pass from Spencer Naas and scored from the right edge of the slot.

Two minutes later it was Moore's turn to get on the scoreboard as The Lineys -- Moore, Besse and Labosky -- combined for the Red Knights' seventh goal of the game and, with 2:27 to play, Patrick Graham's shot from the top of the slot found the back of the net accounted for his first tally of the season.

BSM had a commanding 40-22 advantage in shots on goal with Besse recording 11 himself.

Andrew Sprang earned the win for the Red Knights by turning in a 20-save effort.

BSM returns home, Thursday, when it takes on Rochester Century in a 7 p.m. game before finishing the week, Saturday, when it takes on Grand Rapids on Pokegama Lake at 1 p.m. for Hockey Day in Minnesota.