How Minneapolis Southwest made hockey history
April 28, 2020 at 1:18AM
How Minneapolis Southwest became the first — and only — city public school to win the boys' hockey state tournament, played at the Met Center 50 years ago.
Big-time rally: Trailing North St. Paul 3-0 after two periods in the quarterfinals, Southwest teetered on the brink of first-round elimination. But a Dan Casperson goal early in the third period, plus two more from Paul Miller, forced overtime. Only 58 seconds into the extra frame, Miller completed the hat trick for a 4-3 comeback victory.
Solid and steady: A 3-1 victory over Hibbing in the semifinals featured goals from Casperson and Miller, and a more steady performance by goalie Brad Shelstad. He stopped 19 of 20 shots.
Border battle of undefeateds: Southwest (23-0-1) and Edina (24-0-1) co-authored the first championship game meeting of unbeaten teams since 1945. The schools, located only three miles apart, went to overtime without a goal. Shelstad stopped all 22 shots. Third-line forward Bill Shaw was credited with the game-winning goal because the puck deflected off his chest.
DAVID La VAQUE
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Six players plus head coach Garrett Raboin and assistant coach Ben Gordon are from Minnesota. The tournament’s games will be televised starting Monday.
