Boys Hockey 2025: Edina goes OT to keep title defense hopes alive
Posted: Thursday, March 6, 2025 - 11:23 PM
Edina’s quest for a successful title defense remains alive.
Junior forward Caleb Pittsley made sure of that when he sent a sizzling wrist shot past Rogers senior goalie Wyatt Knott with 1 minute, 7 seconds remaining in overtime to send the No. 5-seeded Hornets to a 2-1 victory over the No. 4 Royals in the final Class AA quarterfinal of the Minnesota State High School League’s Boys Hockey State Tournament on Thursday, March 6 at the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul.
With a second overtime looming, Pittsley gathered the puck at the top of the far circle. After skating in a stride with a defender in front of him, he pulled the puck back slightly before firing a shot that ended Day 2 of the four-day state tournament event.
Edina (21-6-2), in the state tournament for the 38th time, is seeking its 16th crown, including a second in a row. The victory sends the Hornets into the big-school semifinals on Friday night where they will face a familiar foe: Moorhead. The Hornets were on the short end in two games this season, losing to the Spuds 4-1 on Nov. 23 and 4-2 on Dec. 26 during the holiday break.
The last time Edina won a second consecutive title was in 2014.
Edina forced the eventual overtime when it scored the equalizer with three minutes remaining in the second period on an even-strength goal from sophomore forward Bode McConnell. He fired a shot from the near circle that sailed into the upper right corner.
Ten minutes earlier, Rogers (23-4-2) opened the scoring on an even-strength goal from senior forward Mason Jenson.
The final minutes of regulation time featured a flurry of activity.
Rogers had a two-minute power play that produced great territorial advantage, but the Royals couldn’t put the finishing touches on their scoring plays.
The Hornets nearly found the winning goal with a couple of seconds remaining in regulation. Junior forward Tucker Johnson was on the near crease post ready to cash in on a one-timer, but Rogers senior goalie Wyatt Knott made a pad save to that drew raves from the crowd.
