Bode McConnell couldn’t have gotten Edina off to a better start Thursday night.

The junior forward scored three times for a first-period hat trick as the third-seeded Hornets built a lead they would not relinquish in beating surprising No. 6 seed Andover 3-1 in the final Class 2A state quarterfinal of the day at Grand Casino Arena.

“He’s really had a good year,” Edina coach Curt Giles said. “He scored a bunch of goals early. He had a little bit of a drought toward the middle of the season, then he picked it back up toward the end again.

“He’s playing with (senior) Tucker Johnson who’s awfully good with the puck and moves the puck well. He puts (McConnell) into some good spots. Bode’s been very good for us.”

The victory sets up a semifinal clash with defending state champion Moorhead in the semifinals at 8 p.m. Friday. The Spuds – the tournament’s No. 2 seed – defeated No. 7 seed Lakeville South 4-1 Thursday.

Edina and Moorhead also met to decide the Class 6A state football championship this past fall – a game the Hornets won 42-35. Edina senior goalie Chase Bjorgaard – who had 25 saves Thursday – rushed for 320 yards and four touchdowns while adding two touchdown catches in that victory.

The two teams also met in the Class 2A hockey semifinals last season, a game Moorhead won 4-3, and again in this season’s opener on Nov. 21 – a game the Spuds won 6-3.

“It’s always a great battle between us,” said Edina senior forward Alex White, who also played in the Prep Bowl victory. “They’re always a great team and have a great program. It’s always a gritty fight.”

Sophomore forward Jack Rykkeli scored for the Huskies (11-15-3) – the No. 5 seed in the Section 5-2A playoff field – to cut the gap to two in the second period.

Andover looked like it might trim the margin further when junior forward Camden Langfeld appeared to score a few minutes later. But a review showed a teammate was offside.

And from there, Edina (22-6-1) let the Huskies get no closer. The Hornets piled up 48 shots-on-goal while holding Andover to just 26.

Huskies sophomore goalie Wyatt Riemer finished with 45 saves.

“It felt like we got out of the gate a little slow tonight,” Andover coach Mark Manney said. “We got little overwhelmed. They’re a big, strong team. I don’t know if they’re the most skilled team we’ve played. But they’re definitely in the conversation for the hardest to play against.

“It’s kind of death by a thousand cuts out there with the way they just kept coming and kept coming.”

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