Red Knights junior varsity thwarts Chaska comeback bid
Three third-period goals helps BSM extend unbeaten streak to 10 games.
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. -- Charlie Hoch scored twice, including the game winner, and Benilde-St. Margaret's used a 46-14 shots on goal advantage to extend their winning streak to 10 games with a 6-3 win over Chaska.
The Red Knights had a two-goal lead in the second period before the Hawks scored back-to-back power-play goals to send the game into the final period, tied 3-3.
Chaska took the initial lead when the Hawks scored three minutes, 28 seconds into the game and it took nine minutes for the hosts to even the score when Mitchell West carried the puck out of the left corner and scored from the bottom of the faceoff circle.
Hoch's first goal came with 25.3 seconds remaining in the opening frame when he grabbed a loose puck in front of the Hawks' net and quickly deposited it into the back of the net.
Liam Kyle made it a 3-1 game, 1:39 into the second period, when he broke in from the left wing and tucked home a Charlie Moen rebound.
However, penalties would prove to unravel that two-goal lead as Chaska scored power-play goals 1:54 apart to tie the game heading into the second intermission.
Like they did when the teams' skated to a scoreless tie, Jan. 11 when the Red Knights had a 56-9 shots on goal advantage, BSM was unable to take advantage of a 33-10 advantage through two periods.
The third period, on the other hand, proved to be different for the home team.
Nick Palmer scored the Red Knights' fifth goal and set up Max Wendt's empty-net goal to help seal the win over Chaska.
The eventual game-winner came at the 6:47 mark of the final period when Mitchell West won a puck battle behind the Chaska net and moved the puck along the boards to Westan Quirk.
Hoch circled back to the right side of the slot to take a pass from Quirk and converted it into his 12th goal of the season.
The score would remain 4-3 into the final minutes before BSM put the game away.
A faceoff win by Max Wendt in the left circle saw the puck go to Mike Lindberg, who quickly moved the puck across the blueline to Nick Palmer in the middle of the ice.
Palmer caught the pass and then teed up a slap shot which found its way into the net to give his team a two-goal lead.
Wendt finished the scoring when Palmer went behind his net to retrieve a puck dumped into the zone by Chaska.
He threw the puck up the left side and, when the Hawks' defenseman was unable to control the puck, Wendt won a foot race to collect the loose puck, used and outside-in move to split the Chaska defensemen, and easily scored his 11th goal of the season.
Twelve of the Red Knights' 15 skaters recorded a point in the game and 14 of the 15 registered at least one shot on goal, with Hoch leading the way with eight shots.
BSM heads into the final week of the season with three games on tap, the first of which is Tuesday's 5 p.m. contest versus Chanhassen at the St. Louis Park Rec Center.
