Wayzata At Edina Thursday

[WestMetro]

Can Trojans slay the Hornets ?

GB- your thoughts?

[elliott70]

Yes, they could, but they won't.

[GoldenBear]

WM, they can stay close but in my opinion it will take a solid defensive performance and a very physical game for them to succeed. I really like Matthews and Bergsland's leadership along with the edgy play by North. I think it's important for the Trojans to build on last week's good week with a solid performance tomorrow. I think the Trojans have won only once at Bramaer against Edina the past eight years. So, I hope for a close game that allows some confidence if they meet again in late February. Matthews (42 points) and Bergland (37) have reached record point totals for an O'Leary coached team--previous record was 37 points in O'Leary's first year by Sam Majka. So, with strong Trojan goaltending and an offense the Hounds would love to have this year, the Trojans are a threat tomorrow. However, it's still January tomorrow so stay healthy and take away a few tactical/learning opportunities that can be used against the Hornets in February---not overlooking Benilde of course. GB

[Doc Holliday]

I was at the Classic Lake double dip at EPCC on Saturday, so watched both teams. Just random comments that probably don't make any sense, but perhaps random comments are needed during these cold January days....

-I find Wayzata to be a bit more offensive talented than the past two years, so that gives them something. Seemed like the past two years, especially in sections, Wayzata's chances pretty much hung on the goaltender having a top notch performance. In '17, they got it; in '18, they didn't and it probably wouldn't have mattered had they gotten it. Still will take good goaltending, but seems like Wayzata can score a little if need be.

-One of my main takeaways regarding Edina was how much they seemed to own the 3rd period against EP. EP has plenty of chances in the 2nd, but seemed like the Hornets got stronger & stronger and it didn't matter which line was out there: all 3 lines were constantly possessing the puck in the the EP zone in the 3rd. But then again, they lost to Chaska by giving up a lead in the 3rd....so maybe I just caught them on a particular day.

[WestMetro]

GB - See separate thread

I think Matthews and Delaney are the two biggest AA overachievers this season!!

Agree with your assessment of what Trojans need to do.

[TheNightman]

Will this game even happen?

[WestMetro]

Good question. Lots of schools are being canceled as we speak. Incl Wayz and Edina

[JerseyDave]

Will this game even happen?

The game is still on, according to Edina's Twitter account:
Edina Hornets (@edinahornets)
"We will miss seeing all of you Ss Thursday during the day. But, we are still going to host Wrestling at EHS at 5 pm. Then a rare girls/boys varsity hockey DH. Girls host EP at 5 pm and Boys at 7 pm at Braemar. Finally, Opening night of our play at EHS is a go! #Hornets"
1:06 PM - 30 Jan 2019
https://twitter.com/edinahornets/status ... 3609836552

Tonka's game with Prior Lake is also still on, according to Tonka's Twitter account:
Minnetonka Skippers (@TonkaSkippers)
"Tonka Activities Update for Thursday:
• Varsity ONLY practices as scheduled tomorrow afternoon (no lower levels)
• Both varsity & JV @TonkaBoysPuck @ Prior Lake & @TonkaWrestling vs Hopkins @ home meets are on as scheduled.
#brrrrrrrrrr #staywarm"
1:43 PM - 30 Jan 2019
https://twitter.com/TonkaSkippers/statu ... 3428353026

[WestMetro]

Thanks JD, I’ll be there!

[CakeScout17]

Of course Wayzata is capable of winning, definitely possible. Any given day, esp w/ HS kids - anything can happen.
If Wayzata scores first and plays a very physical game throughout and doesn't 'watch Edina skate' then yes - esp IF their goalie gets hot...they 'could' win 3-2 or so...

But...I don't think so. Edina has too much depth and by middle of the 3rd period they simply outskate teams (minus Chaska game but reasons behind that have already been discussed). Tonight? Edina scores first and its a rugged 1st period. 1-1 I'll call it. Edina starts to pull away in late 2nd and its 2-1 Edina after 2. By middle of the 3rd period the Hornet depth and superior skaters take over and its a 4-2 or 5-2 finish. Kind of the Edina MO last few games.

Nice to be ranked #1 for us rubes, but make NO mistake - they are NOT the best team in AA. I still feel like they are #3 or #4.
Tonka has slipped, but who wouldn't? Lines are jumbled w/ Lagerback injury and now their D corps is off. Tired team after their Bemidji outing. They'll regroup and it will happen just in time for end of Feb and the final push. Andover same deal - both Tonka and Andover seem to have that relentless grit that Edina shows occasionally but not all the time in a relentless manner as they will sometimes take undisciplined penalties, so gotta clean that up.
MG I can't figure out...talent, solid D and decent goalie, but seems like the early season magic has worn off? This is normal recurrence for MG, but thats a team to be feared IMHO. Blaine, impressive recent wins and improving week by week w/ great goalie and 2 stars who can skate, play 200 ft and one of them potential Mr Hockey in Brodzinski, however Blaine is the one team I still have yet to see play.

Edina good. Very good. And as entertaining as anybody this year...but I'd still hold them at about #3. Beat Tonka again, own Lake conf rest of way? Ok - Legit #1. Id also like to see Edina get that PP to a solid 30% rate and keep PK at 90%. Nice to see Hogg getting better, bit more confident and finally 'staying home' more!

Then again, the only rankings that matter are released March 10.

[GoldenBear]

CS17, nice analysis. I will be happy with your 1 to 1 after one prediction tonight. I hope to see a nice game. GB

[WestMetro]

Wayzata scores a quick one early but Hornets dominated rest of first. Wayz came out strong
in 2nd and early 3rd , held Hornets in check , fought back eventually tying game at 3-3 . Hornets got 3 late in third with Trojans countering one , 6-4 final. Nevers with hatty


Hornets with usual way too many penalties . Wayzata with one bad pass on blue line during PP in 3rd , resulting in Hornet Breakaway shorty, and momentum swung . Surprised O’Leary didn’t pull goalie with 2 minutes left while 2 goals down and had puck in his offensive zone

CS and GB no doubt can add more in depth thoughts

I still maintain any Lake Conf team can beat any other on any given night

[612hockeytown]

Of course Wayzata is capable of winning, definitely possible. Any given day, esp w/ HS kids - anything can happen.
If Wayzata scores first and plays a very physical game throughout and doesn't 'watch Edina skate' then yes - esp IF their goalie gets hot...they 'could' win 3-2 or so...

But...I don't think so. Edina has too much depth and by middle of the 3rd period they simply outskate teams (minus Chaska game but reasons behind that have already been discussed). Tonight? Edina scores first and its a rugged 1st period. 1-1 I'll call it. Edina starts to pull away in late 2nd and its 2-1 Edina after 2. By middle of the 3rd period the Hornet depth and superior skaters take over and its a 4-2 or 5-2 finish. Kind of the Edina MO last few games.

Nice to be ranked #1 for us rubes, but make NO mistake - they are NOT the best team in AA. I still feel like they are #3 or #4.
Tonka has slipped, but who wouldn't? Lines are jumbled w/ Lagerback injury and now their D corps is off. Tired team after their Bemidji outing. They'll regroup and it will happen just in time for end of Feb and the final push. Andover same deal - both Tonka and Andover seem to have that relentless grit that Edina shows occasionally but not all the time in a relentless manner as they will sometimes take undisciplined penalties, so gotta clean that up.
MG I can't figure out...talent, solid D and decent goalie, but seems like the early season magic has worn off? This is normal recurrence for MG, but thats a team to be feared IMHO. Blaine, impressive recent wins and improving week by week w/ great goalie and 2 stars who can skate, play 200 ft and one of them potential Mr Hockey in Brodzinski, however Blaine is the one team I still have yet to see play.

Edina good. Very good. And as entertaining as anybody this year...but I'd still hold them at about #3. Beat Tonka again, own Lake conf rest of way? Ok - Legit #1. Id also like to see Edina get that PP to a solid 30% rate and keep PK at 90%. Nice to see Hogg getting better, bit more confident and finally 'staying home' more!

Then again, the only rankings that matter are released March 10.

Lots of optimism here in Bengal town. BB doing his thing and getting support from Hilly and Richels. The biggest optimism coming into the season and more so now and the MG goalie (Haider) that knocked us out of the section semis the last two years is gone. It’s no longer a mental block for many of the kids and that isn’t a secret. Joe has the experience to get them past MG now. There is a chip on the shoulder of BB and not much will stop him. The avalanche has started picking up steam.

On a unrelated note more relevant to this thread, what happened to Wayzata forward #7 Mulrenin. Injured? Didn’t play.

[GoldenBear]

Fun game last night. If it was a boxing match -10 point must scoring; 10-8 Edina, 10-9 Wayzata, 10-9 Edina. Not a unanimous decision by Edina.

The Trojans had a fighter's chance last night and can beat Edina when it counts. To Edina's credit, they won last night in a game where they took too many penalties and their keeper didn't play too well. Wayzata's pp did look good and they had some very good scoring chances that they didn't finish so I dare the Hornets to try that again. Edina was without Vorlicky and Wayzata was without North.

The first period was dominated by Edina and if not for Fraga it could have been worse. The second, Wayzata outplayed Edina. The third was pretty even. As WM stated, the shorty by Malmquist was a killer for the Trojans. Edina's top line did all the scoring-excluding the shorty. It will be interesting to see if O'Leary has a defensive shot-blocking line that he can match up against this line. As Doc noted, this Wayzata squad can tickle the twine a little more than past squads which is nice. All said, the game was worth the price of admission. GB

[GoldenBear]

]On a unrelated note more relevant to this thread, what happened to Wayzata forward #7 Mulrenin. Injured? Didn’t play

Mulrenin is no longer on the Wayzata Squad

[612hockeytown]

]On a unrelated note more relevant to this thread, what happened to Wayzata forward #7 Mulrenin. Injured? Didn’t play

Mulrenin is no longer on the Wayzata Squad

The JGA is true then? Wow thanks GB.

[DanFromWoodbury]

First time seeing Wayzata last night. I had seen Edina once before. A lot of talent on both teams, but I was incredibly impressed with Matthews from Wayzata, and obviously Nevers from Edina. Nevers' 3rd period mid-air tip in was phenomenal. I thought the score was very fair, and Wayzata has a great shot to steal one if they meet in sections. Edina getting 4 penalties in the 3rd (5 if you count the coincidental) is not a recipe to win in February/March.

[hockey59]

Of course Wayzata is capable of winning, definitely possible. Any given day, esp w/ HS kids - anything can happen.
If Wayzata scores first and plays a very physical game throughout and doesn't 'watch Edina skate' then yes - esp IF their goalie gets hot...they 'could' win 3-2 or so...

But...I don't think so. Edina has too much depth and by middle of the 3rd period they simply outskate teams (minus Chaska game but reasons behind that have already been discussed). Tonight? Edina scores first and its a rugged 1st period. 1-1 I'll call it. Edina starts to pull away in late 2nd and its 2-1 Edina after 2. By middle of the 3rd period the Hornet depth and superior skaters take over and its a 4-2 or 5-2 finish. Kind of the Edina MO last few games.

Nice to be ranked #1 for us rubes, but make NO mistake - they are NOT the best team in AA. I still feel like they are #3 or #4.
Tonka has slipped, but who wouldn't? Lines are jumbled w/ Lagerback injury and now their D corps is off. Tired team after their Bemidji outing. They'll regroup and it will happen just in time for end of Feb and the final push. Andover same deal - both Tonka and Andover seem to have that relentless grit that Edina shows occasionally but not all the time in a relentless manner as they will sometimes take undisciplined penalties, so gotta clean that up.
MG I can't figure out...talent, solid D and decent goalie, but seems like the early season magic has worn off? This is normal recurrence for MG, but thats a team to be feared IMHO. Blaine, impressive recent wins and improving week by week w/ great goalie and 2 stars who can skate, play 200 ft and one of them potential Mr Hockey in Brodzinski, however Blaine is the one team I still have yet to see play.

Edina good. Very good. And as entertaining as anybody this year...but I'd still hold them at about #3. Beat Tonka again, own Lake conf rest of way? Ok - Legit #1. Id also like to see Edina get that PP to a solid 30% rate and keep PK at 90%. Nice to see Hogg getting better, bit more confident and finally 'staying home' more!

Then again, the only rankings that matter are released March 10.

Lots of optimism here in Bengal town. BB doing his thing and getting support from Hilly and Richels. The biggest optimism coming into the season and more so now and the MG goalie (Haider) that knocked us out of the section semis the last two years is gone. It’s no longer a mental block for many of the kids and that isn’t a secret. Joe has the experience to get them past MG now. There is a chip on the shoulder of BB and not much will stop him. The avalanche has started picking up steam.

On a unrelated note more relevant to this thread, what happened to Wayzata forward #7 Mulrenin. Injured? Didn’t play.

Agree Blaine is on a roll, with HM likely being the only team with a chance to beat them in the remaining regular seasons games, although CP @ CP won’t be a walk in the park with Boynton in goal. Should be a GREAT section final game at Aldrich vs a young MG team!

[CakeScout17]

Of course Wayzata is capable of winning, definitely possible. Any given day, esp w/ HS kids - anything can happen.
If Wayzata scores first and plays a very physical game throughout and doesn't 'watch Edina skate' then yes - esp IF their goalie gets hot...they 'could' win 3-2 or so...

But...I don't think so. Edina has too much depth and by middle of the 3rd period they simply outskate teams (minus Chaska game but reasons behind that have already been discussed). Tonight? Edina scores first and its a rugged 1st period. 1-1 I'll call it. Edina starts to pull away in late 2nd and its 2-1 Edina after 2. By middle of the 3rd period the Hornet depth and superior skaters take over and its a 4-2 or 5-2 finish. Kind of the Edina MO last few games.

Nice to be ranked #1 for us rubes, but make NO mistake - they are NOT the best team in AA. I still feel like they are #3 or #4.
Tonka has slipped, but who wouldn't? Lines are jumbled w/ Lagerback injury and now their D corps is off. Tired team after their Bemidji outing. They'll regroup and it will happen just in time for end of Feb and the final push. Andover same deal - both Tonka and Andover seem to have that relentless grit that Edina shows occasionally but not all the time in a relentless manner as they will sometimes take undisciplined penalties, so gotta clean that up.
MG I can't figure out...talent, solid D and decent goalie, but seems like the early season magic has worn off? This is normal recurrence for MG, but thats a team to be feared IMHO. Blaine, impressive recent wins and improving week by week w/ great goalie and 2 stars who can skate, play 200 ft and one of them potential Mr Hockey in Brodzinski, however Blaine is the one team I still have yet to see play.

Edina good. Very good. And as entertaining as anybody this year...but I'd still hold them at about #3. Beat Tonka again, own Lake conf rest of way? Ok - Legit #1. Id also like to see Edina get that PP to a solid 30% rate and keep PK at 90%. Nice to see Hogg getting better, bit more confident and finally 'staying home' more!

Then again, the only rankings that matter are released March 10.

Lots of optimism here in Bengal town. BB doing his thing and getting support from Hilly and Richels. The biggest optimism coming into the season and more so now and the MG goalie (Haider) that knocked us out of the section semis the last two years is gone. It’s no longer a mental block for many of the kids and that isn’t a secret. Joe has the experience to get them past MG now. There is a chip on the shoulder of BB and not much will stop him. The avalanche has started picking up steam.

On a unrelated note more relevant to this thread, what happened to Wayzata forward #7 Mulrenin. Injured? Didn’t play.

Agree Blaine is on a roll, with HM likely being the only team with a chance to beat them in the remaining regular seasons games, although CP @ CP won’t be a walk in the park with Boynton in goal. Should be a GREAT section final game at Aldrich vs a young MG team!

Mulrenin has not been on Wayzta varsity for over a month now...asked to 'pursue interests elsewhere' after his latest fiasco (pouting and tantrum in locker room) so he's playing JR Gold w/ Wayzata. Repeated dismissals/behavioral issues over last calendar year. Too bad too. Lot of talent there.