Adapted Floor Hockey State Tournament -Day 2 Recap

The second day of the 2023 Minnesota State High School League’s Adapted Floor Hockey State Tournament featured two rematches of last year’s championship games, as Burnsville/Farmington/Lakeville and New Prague/TCU/LSH/Belle Plaine/Jordan met in the CI Division Championship, and Dakota United and Brainerd met in the PI Division Championship.

This year, it was the Burnsville/Farmington/Lakeville Blazing Cats who would be victorious in the CI Division, earning their first State Championship in team history. In the PI Division, the Brainerd Warriors would come away with the title, their sixth State Championship and their fourth since 2017.

Here is a full look at the action from Championship Saturday:

CI Division

Championship: Burnsville/Farmington/Lakeville 15, New Prague/TCU/LSH/Belle Plaine/Jordan 6

The CI Division Championship was high scoring, as 21 goals were scored throughout the contest. The Burnsville/Farmington/Lakeville Blazing Cats continued their offensive prowess, claiming the team’s first State Championship with a 15-6 win over the New Prague/TCU/LSH/Belle Plaine/Jordan Trojans.

The first period was especially close. The Trojans scored first in the game, getting a goal from senior Raymond Parker that was assisted by senior Aaron Adamson. The Blazing Cats responded with three straight goals, two of which were scored by junior Caden Roseth. Burnsville/Farmington/Lakeville finished the period with two goals (both scored by Adamson) scored thirty seconds apart to get the game back within one, trailing 4-3 after the first 15 minutes of play.

In the second, the Trojans tied it up within the first minute, but the rest of the period belonged to the Blazing Cats, who would score six goals to end the period and lead 12-5 heading into the third. From there, the Blazing Cats were able to score three more times in the third, while holding the Trojans to only one score, earning the 15-6 win.

Roseth led all scorers with nine goals. Teammate Riley Deutsch recorded a hat trick and senior Clarke Ruhland was the final Blazing Cat with multiple goals, scoring twice. For the Trojans, Adamson finished with three goals and Parker had two.

Third Place Game: Maple Grove 6, Dakota United 5 (OT)

A crazy third period of scoring found the Maple Grove Crimson and the Dakota United Hawks tied up at five goals each, forcing an overtime frame to determine a winner. It was the Crimson’s senior Gaetano Sanders who would be successful in overtime, scoring with 1:32 left in the five-minute period, leading Maple Grove to the 6-5 win. The Hawks got on the board first in the game with a goal from sophomore Colin Price. The Crimson would tie it up before the end of the period and lead 2-1 after two periods of play. The teams combined for seven goals in the third period, with Dakota United outscoring Maple Grove 4-3 to tie the game at 5-5, but it was the Crimson who would eventually find the back of the net in the extra period to win it.

Consolation Championship: Stillwater/Mahtomedi 6, North/Tartan 1

The Stillwater/Mahtomedi Ponies claimed the CI Consolation Championship with a 6-1 win over the North/Tartan Polars. After a scoreless first period, sophomore Mason-Mora Clark broke through in the second, giving the Ponies a 1-0 lead. The Ponies would add to that lead in the third, scoring twice more before the Polars got on the board with a goal from sophomore Jameer Patterson. The Ponies finished strong, scoring three more times before the end of the contest to win 6-1. Clark led the scoring with five of the Ponies’ six goals in the game.

PI Division

Championship: Brainerd 4, Dakota United 3 (OT)

This year’s PI State Championship game was a thriller that needed overtime to decide. In the end, seventh-grader Aiden Olsen scored the game-winning goal about a minute into OT, helping Brainerd defeat Dakota United 4-3 and claim its sixth State Championship, and first since 2019.

The first period would end scoreless, despite multiple scoring chances for each team. Brainerd took a 2-0 lead in the second with early goals from senior Cadence Atwater and freshman Owen Olsen. Dakota United would not let it stand that way for long, scoring two goals of their own in quick succession to make it 2-2. The Hawks’ goals were scored by senior Fiona Sitzmann and sophomore Cayden Needham.

In the third, the Hawks would take their first lead of the game with a goal with seven minutes left from sophomore Reece Martin. With less than two minutes in regulation, A. Olsen took a pass from Atwater and found the back of the net to send the game into overtime, where he would score again to secure the win for Brainerd.

Third Place Game:  Robbinsdale/Hopkins/Mound Westonka 5, Anoka-Hennepin 2

A four-goal game from junior Jose Leon Estrada helped the Robbinsdale/Hopkins/Mound Westonka Robins defeat the Anoka-Hennepin Mustangs 5-2 and earn the PI Division third place trophy. The Mustangs scored the only goal of the first period when senior Nick Reither found the back of the net. Teammate Joey Tonna helped make it 2-0 with a goal in the second, but the Robins answered back with two goals from Leon Estrada to tie it up before the end of the frame. The third period belonged to the Robins, who would score three more times to seal the victory.

Consolation Championship: Maple Grove 9, Rochester 8

It was an exciting finish in the PI Consolation Championship with the Maple Grove Crimson scoring in the final minute to top the Rochester Raiders 9-8. The Crimson scored the first two goals of the game, but the Raiders answered with three straight to lead 3-2 after the first period. Rochester would extend their lead, holding a 6-3 edge after two. In the third, the Crimson started their comeback, which was capped off with the game-winning goal from seventh-grader Lincoln Scearcy. Scearcy finished the game with six goals and teammate Ben Pfeifer chipped in with the other three for Maple Grove. Sophomore Andrew Westerman led the Raiders, scoring four goals throughout the contest.