Hockey state tournament notes: Big hit sets early tone in Class 2A final

The collision shook the boards and sent the Plexiglass swaying. Boom!

Mighty Casey, meet Hammerin' Hank.

The close encounter between Eden Prairie's Casey Mittelstadt and Wayzata's Hank Sorensen came on the game's opening shift, the first of many run-ins between the pair in Saturday's Class 2A championship game featuring the uniquely exceptional talents for each team.

Sorensen, Wayzata's designated shutdown defenseman and a top Division I college prospect, sent Mittelstadt, Eden Prairie's top scorer and projected first-round NHL draft pick, hobbling to the bench after that initial hit in the Trojans' 5-3 victory.

Mittelstadt took a quick breather, dismissed a line of questioning from the Eagles trainer and didn't miss a shift. He looked to be functioning at top speed the rest of the game, and tied the score at 1-1 on a rebound flip with 7:37 left in the period.

Sorensen gave Mittelstadt, a University of Minnesota recruit, an after-the-whistle jab late in the period. Just a friendly love tap.

Mittelstadt was held off the score sheet the rest of the way. His 12 points in the tournament were the most since Duluth East's Dave Spehar had 13 in 1996.

Down two goals to Hermantown in the waning moments of the first period, Breck hoped to get to the locker room without further damage done.

James Lindberg had another thought as he found himself alone with the puck deep in Mustangs territory.

"I just saw a little hole up top and I figured, 'I might as well go for it. It's the state championship game,' " said Lindberg, a senior winger.

Pinpoint accuracy gave Hermantown a 3-0 lead with five seconds remaining. A team desperate to end its six-year run of second-place finishes needed every available emotional boost.

"It was pretty big lift, I guess," Lindberg said. "You know how they say a two-goal lead is the worst lead in hockey."

"That hurts," Breck coach Les Larson said. "It always hurts at the end of the period."

Hermantown coach Bruce Plante, who had the last change, matched Breck's third line with his own. Scoring key goals usually isn't the job of a third line, but Plante wasn't surprised to see Lindberg and company deliver.

"That line has had some big goals for us in the playoffs, a lot of good-timing goals," Plante said.

Lindberg scored twice at the state tournament and finished the season with eight goals.

Hermantown defenseman Wyatt Aamodt was answering questions from ESPN hockey analyst Barry Melrose. The topic, naturally, turned to hair.

"I'd like to think so," Aamodt, a senior, said with a laugh, adding that there was a time when Plante didn't allow players to have hair long enough to flow outside their helmets.

Melrose was shocked. "That's an about-face to what you guys are doing now," he said. "What happened?"