Boys hockey: Gentry Academy upsets Hill-Murray in section semis, White Bear Lake edges Stillwater in OT

Hill-Murray has one of the most tradition-rich boys hockey teams in the state, a regular at the state tournament with four championships in its school’s history.

Gentry Academy is a young program, which earned its own championship — in Class A — in its lone state appearance in 2021.

Count one for the upstart.

Gentry Academy, seeded fifth, beat top-seed Hill-Murray 4-2 in the Class 2A, Section 4 semifinals on Wednesday at Aldrich Arena in Maplewood.

Third-seed White Bear Lake beat No. 2-seed Stillwater 2-1 in overtime in the section’s other semifinal. The Bears trailed 1-0 in the final minute of regulation, but Rian Marquardt tied the contest with 56 ticks remaining after White Bear Lake pulled its goalie.

Then Nash Roed scored the winner less than a minute into the extra session.

The two winners will face off for the section title at 7 p.m. Friday at Aldrich Arena.

Gentry Academy transitioned from a private school to a charter school starting with the 2021-22 school year. Hill-Murray bounced the Stars from the Section 4AA tournament three straight times from 2022-24. The Stars were bounced by Roseville in the section quarterfinals last February.

Gentry Academy kept its upset run in the section tournament going after a minor 6-3 upset of No. 4-seed East Ridge to open the tournament. The Stars then took control early Wednesday against Hill-Murray.

Braden Bois scored 4:48 into the first period for Gentry Academy, before Caden Zasada evened the game just over a minute late for the Pioneers. Collin Hennes scored before the end of the first for the Stars, who pulled out to a 4-1 advantage midway through the second period. Everett Nelson and Brekken Zabrok scored in the second for Gentry Academy.

Tristan Will closed the scoring for Hill-Murray, which outshot the Stars 36-25. The Pioneers won’t play in a section final for the first time since 2005.

Gentry Academy’s Gavin Grose made 34 saves in goal. Grayson Hanggi made 21 saves for the Pioneers.

In the other semifinal, Teague McGlynn opened the scoring in the second for Stillwater, who wasn’t able to make the one goal stand up.

Gavin Bajda made 27 saves in goal for the Ponies. Bears goaltender Riley Helmberger stopped 19 shots.

Section 6AA Championship

Edina won its section title on Wednesday by beating Wayzata 3-1 at Ridder Arena on the University of Minnesota campus. Bode McConnell had a hat trick for the second-seeded Hornets, who also got 28 saves from Chase Bjorgaard.

Fourth-seed Wayzata couldn’t keep it’s run going after upsetting No. 1-seed Rogers 5-2 in the semifinals. Eli Molde scored to give the Trojans a 1-0 lead over Edina in the first. Ryan Pellinger stopped 25 shots in goal for Wayzata.