Thursday, February 16, 2017

Blake Bears Head Back to State

Fans who lined up outside the Parade Ice Garden throughout the first period didn't miss an exciting finish as CC Wallin scored the game winning goal with 8:00 left in the third period to lead the Blake Bears to a 5-4 come from behind win over the Breck Mustangs Thursday night in the Section 5A Girls Hockey Championship Game in Minneapolis.

It was the fifth consecutive section title for the defending state Class A champions.

Both teams would tally in the first period.  Olivia Mobley would score for the Mustangs and Sara McClanahan for the Bears.

The second period would feature the same scenario as both teams tacked on another goal.  McClanahan scored her second goal when she rebounded Audrey Wethington's shot to put Blake ahead.  Breck would tie the game at two on a power play goal from Mobley, her second of the game.

The Mustangs would take the lead early in the third period on Mobley's hat trick goal 1:01 into the period.  Would it be enough to send the Golden Valley based team to St. Paul next week? The answer would be no as the Bears would score three goals to wrap up the section title.  First, it would be McClanahan, who passed the puck to Madeline Wethington behind the left off circle and she drove it into the net to tie the game.  Madeline Wethington would also play a role in the eventual game winner as she fed Wallin on the right point and she would go top shelf to put Blake ahead.  She would wrap up the Bears scoring after Breck goalie Ally Frantzick for a sixth attacker and drove the puck down the ice like the team bus heading down I-394 and it would enter the net.  But the Mustangs would pick up a late goal as Nicole Oppenheimer scored with :14.7 remaining and that was all Breck could do.

The Bears improved their record to 24-2-1 and will play in the state Class A quarterfinals on Wednesday, February 22 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.  The Mustangs ended their season with a record of 19-6-3.

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