In this same spot a year ago, Edina had its heart broken by conference rival Minnetonka in the Class 2A state boys hockey title game.

Facing a similar fate in the third period Saturday night, the Hornets determined they would not to be denied.

Edina flipped the switch in the final stanza, outplaying Chanhassen for the first two-thirds of the final frame to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 victory in the championship bout at Xcel Energy Center.

The title is Edina’s 14th.

Edina’s Bobby Cowan delivered the game-winner on the power play with seven minutes to play, walking the puck to the top of the circles before sniping the top left corner.

The Storm put on a furious push over the game’s final few minutes, creating a number of chances around the net, but couldn’t slip a puck past Edina goalie Joe Bertram, who tallied 33 saves.

Chanhassen was Minnesota state hockey’s David a week ago, slaying Minnetonka in the section final to reach its first state tournament. But, as the tournament wore on, it became clear the Storm were anything but an underdog.

They were every bit as good as their No. 5 rank in the state and No. 2 seed in the tournament suggested.

Both top-seeded Edina (26-4-1) and Chanhassen breezed through the first two rounds, setting up a titanic matchup in Saturday’s final. For two periods Saturday, it looked as though the tournament debutant was going to attain the ultimate glory in its first bite at the apple.

Chanhassen looked like the better team, even in a first period that saw both teams generate high-quality scoring chances neither would finish. The Storm finally broke through in the second, as Tyler Smith generated a beautiful tip off the shot of Ben Curtis from the point to sneak the puck inside the far pipe.

The Storm (25-5) carried the 1-0 advantage into the final frame. There was a time when it looked as though that’d be enough.

Chanhassen features star goaltender Kam Hendrickson — likely the state’s top netminder — and a generally stout defense. And Edina didn’t generate any sort of pressure in the second frame.

But the Hornets demonstrated their championship mettle in the third. The equalizer was essentially a prayer, as Edina’s Robbie Hoch sent a puck on net from the point that appeared to bounce off a Chanhassen skater in front of the net to deflect past Hendrickson — who finished with 21 saves — and into the net. Sometimes, those are the types of bounces required to win state titles.

That goal ignited Edina, who generated a pair of power plays over the next few minutes, cashing in on the second one to secure the game-winner.

‘LOOOUUU’

Lou Nanne who will call his 60th and final state hockey tournament this week received a jersey before the start of the Class 2A championship game of the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Saturday, March 9, 2024. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)

Moments before delivering his final state tournament broadcast for Channel 45, Minnesota hockey icon Lou Nanne was honored on the ice with a commemorative state tournament jersey and numerous loud “LOOOUUUUU!” chants from the fans.

Nanne was honored on the jumbotron late in the third period of the Class 2A title game and received a standing ovation from those in attendance as he was shown on the video board.

Briefly

The announced attendance of Saturday’s Class 2A final was 20,356 — a state final record.

Cretin-Derham Hall downed Grand Rapids 6-3 in the third-place game.

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