Sports
Breck Girls Hockey Stunned By South St. Paul
Mustangs fall to Packers 1-0 in state semifinal, will play at 9 a.m. Saturday in third place game.
What advice did Breck girls hockey coach Lenny Vannelli have for South St. Paul’s championship opponent?
“Don’t take them lightly,” Vannelli said.
The Mustangs, coming off a lop-sided victory over New Ulm on Wednesday simply couldn’t get its offensive rhythm going Friday in the Class A state semifinal, losing to the Packers 1-0 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
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Breck will play in the third place game at 9 a.m. Saturday in St. Paul against Eveleth-Gilbert.
The difference in Friday’s game came with 6:44 remaining in the third period, when South St. Paul’s Ali Chulla found a loose puck in front of Breck goalie Taylor Neisen and pounded home a hard-earned power-play goal.
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It came on the Packers’ fifth and final trip to the man-advantage, a trend of going to the penalty box the Mustangs couldn’t overcome on this day.
“We were crossing our fingers,” said Vannelli of killing off the penalties. “There were some emotions that came back for the kids. They were losing their cool. There was no need for it, but again it starts with wearing down your top kids.”
Neisen spent much of the game making brilliant saves in net for the Mustangs (17-12-1) across the crease. She steered away 39 shots in the game, making stop in key situations throughout to keep the game scoreless.
She stopped several chances as time expired in the first period, stoned Packers forward Abby Palmquist with a kick save on a second period odd-man rush and made two crucial saves with 10 minutes left in the third period and South St. Paul (24-5-0) crashing the net for rebounds.
“She’s always dynamite,” Vannelli said. “The team really trusts her, believes in her.”
Neisen said she could see the puck lying in front of her just before Chulla scored, but it just out of reach.
“I was ready for it,” she said. “But it kind of just sat there in the skates.”
The loss is Breck’s first state semifinal defeat in four trips to the state tournament. The Mustangs finished runner-up last year and in 2008.
Now, a new challenge awaits Saturday in the third place game.
“Hopefully we can put it together for tomorrow,” Neisen said. “We’re a pretty strong team.”
GAME SUMMARY
South St. Paul 0 0 1 — 1
Breck 0 0 0 — 0
Scoring — First period: No scoring. Second period: No scoring. Third period: 10:16 SSP Ali Chulla (Brigette Miller, Abby Palmquist). Shots on goal — SSP 40, BRECK 26. Power plays — SSP 1-5, BRECK 0-3. Saves — SSP Katie Felton 26, BRECK Taylor Neisen 39.
