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Home | Sports | Prep Sports
Finally, a reward for all his effort
Edina's Marshall Everson usually finds ways to score. It just took a while against Benilde.
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Edina forward Marshall Everson was beginning to wonder. Point-blank scoring opportunities that so often had turned into goals for him this season now were being swept aside by Benilde-St. Margaret's goaltender Jacob Meyers.
One golden chance after another, with similar shots delivered by linemates Zach Budish and Anders Lee suffering the same fate.
Benilde-St. Margaret's, which had battled back from a 4-2 third-period deficit to tie the game, forced overtime -- and the Hornets to dig a little deeper for what many thought was a pre-destined trip to the Class 2A championship game.
Showing some of the grit that has characterized their play all season, the Hornets' standout trio combined to deliver the game-winner at 5:48 of overtime.
Lee's pass to the side of the net found Everson, who was in a battle with a defender. Digging the puck from out of his skates, Everson hit the back of the net while being knocked on his backside.
"I had a lot of great opportunities," Everson said. "It was starting to get frustrating that nothing was going in. A lot of times in overtime, the winning goal isn't going to be a pretty one."
Without the heroic efforts of Meyers in the third period, Everson very well could have had another highlight reel goal to add to his collection. Like his Red Knights teammates, Meyers simply refused to buckle.
"Marshall had some opportunities where you're thinking he's right where we want him to be in this situation," Edina coach Curt Giles said. "It just wasn't happening for us. But goal scorers find a way to score goals."
Just as good teams find ways to win. Benilde-St. Margaret's enjoyed long stretches in the game where it outplayed the Hornets. The Red Knights were particularly affective on the forecheck, keeping the puck in the Edina zone for long stretches at a time.
While the Red Knights never led in the game, they were relentless from beginning to end.
"If I start talking about the effort our guys gave, I won't stop talking," Benilde-St. Margaret's coach Ken Pauly said. "If anyone talks about Edina being the best team in the state, they better talk about us, too. We had them on their heels."
The Hornets appeared vulnerable in their own end at times, giving those who "love to hate Edina" (in the words of Giles) hope for a reason to celebrate.
But Edina now finds itself one victory away from earning its first state title since 1997.
"We definitely didn't play our best game," Lee said, "but we were able to come out on top. It's a good feeling."
Pauly is convinced his players will feel the same once the sting of the loss subsides.
"I told them they should be proud of being part of a game like that," Pauly said. "I was proud to be behind the bench for it."
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