Late-period goals enable Red Knights to get past Crimson
Three goals in the final minutes of each period gives BSM sweep in Premiere Holiday Classic.
MAPLE GROVE, Minn. -- Three of Benilde-St. Margarets' four goals came in the closing minutes of each period as the 17th-ranked Red Knights downed No. 13 Maple Grove, 4-3, to sweep its three games in the Premier Holiday Classic.
The Red Knights scored two power-play goals due to a major penalty on the Crimson. Carter Callan scored from the top of the slot, firing a low shot through traffic, with two minutes, 26 seconds remaining in the opening period.
Mason Minor scored a second goal during the major power play, just 28 seconds into the second when he took a feed through the slot from Callan and his shot beat Maple Grove goalie Zach Price over the glove before he could slide across the crease.
Down 2-0, the Crimson scored twice, midway through the second period, just 2:09 apart, the latter coming on the power-play, and the teams appeared to be headed into the second intermission tied at 2-2.
But, in the final minute of the period, Junior Podein intercepted a clearing pass in the neutral zone, turned back towards the Crimson zone and beat Price from the left circle.
That lead would last just 64 seconds as the hosts evened the score just 12 seconds into the final period.
The score would remain tied for nearly 16 minutes before Podein passed the puck from behind the net to Tyler Kirschner in the left circle. From there, Kirschner found his brother, Cam, coming down the right side of the slot and the elder Kirschner fired home the game winner with 1:19 to play in the game.
Carter Callan scored a power-play goal with 2:36 left in the first period to BSM on the scoreboard first.
Christopher Dean stopped 17 shots for BSM to collect his fifth win of the season.
A 10-day break is up for BSM before opening the Metro West Conference portion of the schedule with a 5 p.m. game versus Waconia on the West Rink of the St. Louis Park Rec Center.
