Prep athletes of the week: Wayzata goalie saves best for last, leads team to first

The stats were good but not the type that knock your socks off. Not that it matters. Sometimes, passing the eye test is a truer measure of how one has performed. By that standard, Schilling was the clear star of Wayzata's first boys' hockey state championship.

The senior goalie allowed just five goals in three games, posting a .936 save percentage, as the Trojans won the Class 2A state title. He was at his best in their 5-3 championship game victory over Eden Prairie, shutting down the potent Eagles offense over the last 26 minutes and giving the Trojans the opportunity to rally from a 3-1 deficit.

Eden Prairie forward Casey Mittelstadt, a future Gopher, called Schilling "hands down probably the best goalie I've seen."

Hearing of Mittelstadt's comment, Schilling took a team-first attitude toward all of the skaters in front of team.

"I'm just so proud of these guys to come all this way," Schilling said. "To battle all the way through, it was just unbelievable."

The 6-foot-7 junior forward played a sensational all-around game in leading the Islanders to a 71-51 victory over Delano in the Class 3A, Section 6 final. He had 27 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and used his long arms to disrupt Delano's offense.

The junior forward gave University of Minnesota hockey fans a tantalizing taste of things to come. He was by far the most dangerous offensive player in the Class 2A state tournament, finishing with five goals and 12 total points.

The freshman guard, who topped 1,000 career points in January, scored 16 points in a 71-32 victory over Chesterton Academy and 33 in a 53-49 victory over Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity to lead the Eagles into the Class 2A, Section 4 semifinals.

The senior set Class 1A state meet records in winning the 200 freestyle (1:39.79) and 500 freestyle (4:35.36). He also anchored the record-setting 400 freestyle relay team (3:06.11) as the Cadets won the Class 1A team championship.

ANN SIMONET

The junior guard drained five three-pointers, all in the second half, to lift the Pirates to a 57-53 victory over Osseo in the Class 4A, Section 5 semifinals. Park Center, which won the last two Class 3A championships, is one game from a 4A state tournament berth.

JIm PAULSEN