Breck Mustangs Opens Season On High Note

A marquee match up opened the 2018-19 Minnesota girls high school hockey season Saturday afternoon with the defending Class A champion Breck Mustangs getting the game winning goal from Ella Brophy with 8:50 left in regulation time that led them to a 4-3 win over last season's Class AA runner up the Centennial Cougars at the Anderson Ice Arena in Golden Valley.

The game marked the head coaching debut of David K.B. Cole leading the Cougars and Keith Radloff behind the Mustangs bench.

Breck struck first in the opening period Allyson Qualley fed Emily Zumwinkle at the left point and she send it into the net.  Centennial evened the score when Allison Pitlick rebounded Maija Almich's shot.  The Mustangs would regain the lead as Qualley sent the puck toward the center slot and Ashley Halverson went top shelf to put Breck ahead 2-1.

Neither team would tally in the second period but the Cougars almost tied the game on a shorthanded opportunity by Pitlick.  But Mustang goalie Ally Frantzick made the save.

There would be good news for Pitlick as she would score a shorthanded goal :49 into the third period to tie the game at two.  Breck would once again vault into the lead as freshman Shae Messner would score from the right slot.  The Cougars, despite losing Annika Linser and Gabby Hughes to graduation did not give up.  Megan Goodreau lined a shot from the slot and the game was tied at three.  Would there be overtime as snow was starting to fall outside the Anderson Ice Arena?  Not on this chilly Saturday as Stella Retrum, one of four Mustang eighth graders, made a pass to Brophy along the boards parallel to the right of the Centennial bench and she would put it past Centennial goalie Mackenna Stoterau to put Breck ahead.

The lead would hold up when Cole pulled Stoterau with 1:00 left for a sixth attacker and the Mustangs didn't increase their margin as time would expire.

Breck opened the season with a 1-0 record and will face the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights on Tuesday, November 13 at 7:15 PM at The Rec Center in St. Louis Park.  The Cougars opened the season 0-1 and will also be in action on the 13th as they host Champlin Park/Coon Rapids at 7 PM at the Centennial Sports Arena in Circle Pines.