The game between No. 1-ranked Minnetonka and No. 2 Wayzata was everything Skippers senior goaltender Hunter Bauer said he ever wanted, having watched highly anticipated matchups like this from the bench last season as the backup netminder before stepping into a No. 1 role this season.
But he couldn't satisfy himself with Friday's 1-1 draw.
"It's a feeling I've always wanted, but still gotta be a little sour that we didn't come away with the win," Bauer said. "To come away with the tie, at least we didn't lose. But we're still sour."
Minnetonka (10-0-1) and Wayzata (10-0-2) dazzled with grade-A scoring opportunities throughout a mostly scoreless contest in front of a capacity crowd Friday afternoon at the Premier Holiday Classic at the PIC in Plymouth.
The atmosphere felt more like a section championship game or, as Skippers coach Sean Goldsworthy put it, a state tournament game.
Despite a flurry of scoring chances, with pucks ringing off pipes, solid defense and even better goaltending kept the game scoreless through two periods. Both teams have high-scoring offenses but allow an average of less than two goals a game.
Amid its dominant start to the season, Minnetonka hadn't played a lot of tight games, but Goldsworthy was impressed with how Bauer showed up for his team.
"He's improving a ton," Goldsworthy said. "And a game like today only made him better. … I thought he was one of the better players on the ice. He kept us in it when we weren't at our best."
