State boys hockey: Mahtomedi breaks free from Orono with 4-goal third
Mahtomedi celebrate with fans after defeating Orono 5-2 during a Class A quarterfinal game of the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Mahtomedi won 5-2. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)
Mahtomedi defenseman Cole Swanson, left, checks Orono defenseman John Engebretson into the boards during the second period of a Class A quarterfinal game of the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)
Mahtomedi forward Jake Hodd-Chlebeck, center bottom, is swarmed by his team after scoring the tying goal during the third period of a Class A quarterfinal game of the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Mahtomedi won 5-2. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)
Mahtomedi forward Gene Wegleitner (22) scores the go-ahead goal past Orono goalie Peyton Anderson during the third period of a Class A quarterfinal game of the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Mahtomedi won 5-2. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)
Mahtomedi forward Winston Wright, left, and Orono forward Jackson Knight battle for control of the puck during the first period of a Class A quarterfinal game of the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)
Mahtomedi forward Jimmy Egan, top, and Orono forward Cayden Effertz try to get control of an airborne puck during the first period of a Class A quarterfinal game of the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)
Mahtomedi forward Laken Decker tries to get puck past Orono goalie Peyton Anderson during the second period of a Class A quarterfinal game of the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)
Mahtomedi forward Jake Hodd-Chlebeck, top right, hits the puck past Orono goalie Peyton Anderson for a goal during the third period of a Class A quarterfinal game of the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Mahtomedi won 5-2. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)
Mahtomedi forward Gene Wegleitner celebrates after scoring the go-ahead goal during the third period of a Class A quarterfinal game of the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Mahtomedi won 5-2. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)
Mahtomedi forward Gene Wegleitner (22) celebrates with defenseman Wyatt Tarnowski (2), forward Jimmy Egan (21) and Mahtomedi fans after scoring the go-ahead goal during the third period of a Class A quarterfinal game of the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Mahtomedi won 5-2. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)
Orono goalie Peyton Anderson (30) deflects a shot as Mahtomedi forward Jake Hodd-Chlebeck (8) tries to get to the rebound during the first period of a Class A quarterfinal game of the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)
Mahtomedi goalie Charlie Brandt, right, blocks an Orono shot during the first period of a Class A quarterfinal game of the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)
During the second period of a Class A quarterfinal game of the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)
Mahtomedi forward Brayden Fuerst (16) tries to hit the puck past ROrono defenseman ylan Schultz and Orono goalie Peyton Anderson (30) during the second period of a Class A quarterfinal game of the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)
Orono goalie Peyton Anderson watches a puck hit by Mahtomedi forward Max Strecker go past him for a goal during the second period of a Class A quarterfinal game of the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)
Mahtomedi forward Max Strecker’s shot is stopped by Orono goalie Peyton Anderson during the third period of a Class A quarterfinal game of the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Mahtomedi won 5-2. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)
Mahtomedi fans fire up before their Class A quarterfinal game of the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)
Jake Hodd-Chlebeck isn’t particular about who makes the plays. The Mahtomedi senior standout just wants them to get made.
That certainly happened Wednesday night as the fourth-seeded Zephyrs kept their hopes of repeating as Class A state champions alive by scoring four goals in the final 6:07 of regulation to beat No. 5 seed Orono 5-2 in the last of the day’s four state quarterfinal matchups at Xcel Energy Center.
“I don’t really care who makes the plays,” said Hodd-Chlebeck, Mahtomedi’s leading scorer. “I just want to win.”
The Spartans took a 2-1 lead with 8:15 left in regulation when Brooks Fegers, a senior forward, scored just his second goal of the season, redirecting a shot into the net. The goal stood up under review.
Hodd-Chlebeck tied the score with a goal with 6:07 remaining. And just 18 seconds later, classmate Gene Wegleitner scored to put the Zephyrs in front by one.
Junior Sam Harris and Hodd-Chlebeck added empty-netters down the stretch after Orono had pulled its goalie.
“We said it was coming,” Harris said of the rally. “We just had to wait. If we were patient, we knew what we had. So we knew it was coming.”
“You have to tip your hat to Mahtomedi,” Orono coach Sean Fish added. “They didn’t give up when we scored that second goal. They doubled down.”
Mahtomedi (18-11) advances to meet top-seed Hermantown in the semifinals at 1 p.m. Friday at Xcel Energy Center. The Hawks topped unseeded Alexandria 6-0 in another quarterfinal Wednesday.
Orono (20-9) will face Alexandria in the consolation semifinals at 1 p.m. Thursday at Aldrich Arena in Maplewood.
“We take the perspective of win and advance,” said Zephyrs coach Jeff Poeschl, whose team beat Warroad 6-5 in double overtime in last season’s Class A state championship game. “Tonight was certainly not our best game. But we had the resiliency to stay with it. In the end, we were able to punch a couple of goals in.
“It doesn’t always have to be pretty, but you win and advance. Now we’re alive to face Hermantown on Friday.”
