Coming off of a tough loss against the Blake Bears, the Orioles faced off against another strong opponent, the Edina Hornets Dec. 14. With the Hornets coming off of two wins and dominating their past hockey season, Park ended with a hard 1-7 loss.
Head coach Tyler Brodersen said this was Park’s closest game against Edina while he was on the hockey coaching staff. He said the team played well, even though it was difficult to skate with Edina but now needs to tweak some mistakes.
“In my three years, that’s the most competitive game we played with Edina,” Brodersen said. “Unfortunately, against a team like Edina, it’s hard to go up and down the ice with them. A lot of good to take out of it, but we still lost seven to one at the end of the day. We need to find ways to correct the mistakes we did make.”
Senior Hayden Kasica said the scoreboard doesn’t showcase the team’s performance. He said they could play up to Edina’s level, so they walked away from the match unashamed of their performance.
“(The game) went solid. I don’t think the score truly reflects how the game was played. We were able to skate with, easily, a top-three team in the state, probably the best,” Kasica said. “So, (it’s) nothing to hang our heads about.”
Brodersen said Park performed well in the first period, leading by one point. However, after Edina scored two points at the beginning of the second period, Park started to lose momentum. He said this was a crucial moment in the game and when they realized how hard it would be to come back.
“The first minute of the second period, we were playing really well. It was a one-nothing game. Giving up two goals in the first minute of the second period was a real killer,” Brodersen said. “(Once) you give those two up, and you look over at the other bench and see Edina, you know it’s going to be really tough to score three goals. That was probably the turning point of the game, where it went from, ‘We can win this thing,’ to feeling like we might be holding on for dear life.”
Junior Oliver Culp said Park’s goalie Maksym Cherevatenko played well, despite the game’s final score. He said Cherevantenko did a good job saving the second and third rebounds throughout the night.
“Maksym did a really good job. Obviously, the scoreboard doesn’t show it, but he did a great job making the second and third save most of the night,” Culp said.
Brodersen said this game was a massive improvement from their game against Blake with Park speeding up and making more accurate passes. He said even though Edina was a better team overall, Park continues to improve.
“We were ready to play more than we were against Blake, and we played faster and connected passes way better,” Brodersen said. “We played way better today than we did against Blake. This was just a way better team and the score reflects that. But we still have a lot of room to grow, and we keep getting better.”
Culp said meeting in the locker rooms between periods helped the team stay positive—for example when coming off of a great first period, it hyped them up for the next period. He said this also allowed the team to tweak mistakes in their play and discuss problems.
“(The locker room meetings) were very useful for us in keeping our spirits high. Especially after the first period, everybody was pretty excited, looking forward to the second,” Culp said. “(There was) a lot of good communication happening, but (it) also gives us a good time to adjust.”
Kasica said this loss has motivated the team to strive for improvement, especially with tough opponents in the games to come. He said the way to improve is to continue their ‘high-intensity’ practices.
“Higher intensity practices, including competing (have helped the team improve). After that loss, it lit a fire under us to want to get better and keep being a competitive team with these tough teams (coming up),” Kasica said.
Brodersen said it is essential to use what was learned from today’s game as the game against Minnetonka approaches. He said the team needs to correct its mistakes and continue what is working.
“We play Minnetonka on Thursday, which is a similar top-tier opponent, so building on what we learned today (is crucial),” Brodersen said. “(Also, focusing on) the things we need to do better and then going out and trying to replicate the good, while fixing the bad.”
Culp said he wants the team to work on their defensive zone and next-zone mentality in the upcoming games and continue scoring goals.
“(In the next games) I want to see us be a little bit better (in) our defensive zone, with having a next-zone mentality,” Culp said. “(I) would love to see us put the puck in the back (of the net).”
Park boys hockey’s next game is against Minnetonka on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Dec. 19 at the St. Louis Park Rec Center.
