The Luverne boys’ hockey team won two big section games to advance their postseason play.
The Cardinals beat Windom 5-2 at home Feb. 24 and Mankato East/Loyola 6-2 in St. Peter Feb. 27.
LHS was scheduled to play against New Ulm Wednesday, March 1, at the Lund Center in St. Peter for the Section 3A Championship.
LHS 5, Windom 2
The LHS boys’ hockey team faced off against Windom Feb. 24 at home for the Section 3A Quarterfinals game and beat the Eagles 5-2.
“Great team effort, start to finish. Everyone worked hard and did their job,” said head coach Phil Paquette.
“That is the kind of steady effort and solid mentality we’ll need to continue to win in the playoffs.”
The Cardinals and Eagles played all three periods with only one penalty going to the Cardinals for slashing.
Luverne tested the Eagles goalie, putting 53 shots on goal in the game.
Windom had 15 shots on junior Tyler Arends. Arends stopped all but two in the game.
The first period went to Windom, scoring one goal at 13:24 at even strength.
Luverne answered with two goals of their own in the second period.
Senior Brady Bork scored for Luverne at 6:29 in the second assisted by sophomore Blaik Bork.
Senior Brock Behrend got the second goal at 16:24 assisted by juniors Tucker Dammann and Henry Hartquist.
LHS was up 2-1 after two periods of play.
In the third period Behrend got his second goal at 8:09 assisted by sophomore Layke Miller.
Junior Elliot Domagala made the score 4-1 at 10:40 assisted by Brady Bork.
Junior Owen Sudenga made Luverne’s final goal at 13:14 in the third assisted by Hartquist.
Windom was able to sneak in one more goal at 16:09 in the third period to make the final score Luverne 5, Windom 2.
LHS 6, Mankato East/Loyola 2
The Luverne boys’ hockey team defeated Mankato East/Loyola 6-2 Monday, Feb. 27, in the Section 3A semifinal game at St. Peter.
Luverne put 20 shots on the Mankato goalie, beating him six times. Mankato tested LHS junior goalie Tyler Arends with 27 shots and only two sliding by his pads.
In the first period Blaik Bork scored first on a power play at 16:40 assisted by Behrend.
Behrend followed up with a score at 16:55 assisted by Kroski and Elliot Domagala, giving LHS a 2-0 lead after one period.
Mankato tied it up 2-2 in the second period with two goals of their own.
In the third period the Cardinals opened up scoring four times to advance to the Section 3A finals.
Behrend got his second goal at 0:39 into the third period assisted by Sudenga.
Elliot Domagala scored at 7:54 assisted by Sudenga.
Blaik Bork made his second goal of the game at 8:08 assisted by Kroski and Behrend.
Behrend got his third goal, hat track, on an empty netter at 14:30 assisted by Sudenga.