Boys hockey: Minnetonka rallies to down Rosemount in OT

Sophomore Cash Hardie’s goal with 4:11 left in the first overtime lifted Minnetonka past Rosemount 4-3 in a Class 2A state semifinal Friday night at Grand Casino Arena, despite a 41-save performance from Irish goaltender Drew Sherman.

The Skippers (26-2-2) advance to meet the winner of Friday night’s late semifinal between Moorhead and Edina for the state championship at 7 p.m. Saturday. Minnetonka is back in the title game for the first time since winning the Class 2A championship in 2023.

The loss stopped the second state tournament run in Rosemount program history just short of the championship game. The Irish (24-5-1) — who will play for third place at 4 p.m. Saturday at Grand Casino Arena — advanced to the title game in the first year of the two-season Tier II tournament in 1992. Teams during those two seasons were assigned to Tier I and II based on regular-season performance.

The two-class system began in 1993-94.

It marked the second overtime game in as many days for the Irish, who beat Grand Rapids 3-2 in OT in the quarterfinals Thursday afternoon.

Both teams had plenty of chances in the opening period, finishing with 12 shots-on-goal apiece.

But Rosemount struck first early when senior forward Quinton VeDepo had a shot blocked by Minnetonka goalie Chase Jerdee. As the loose puck floated in front of the net, senior forward Peter DeGroot swooped in to score, putting the Irish on top 1-0 with 14:42 to play.

That was where the goals ended in the first period, but they came fast and furious during an under-four-minute stretch of the second.

Irish junior Connor Schubert fired off a long-range shot to score with 12:58 remaining before Skippers senior Ethan Sturgis answered exactly one minute later, cutting the Rosemount lead to 2-1.

The Irish again expanded their margin to two when senior Cade Sherman scored 19 seconds into a Rosemount power play. But Minnetonka responded once more on an unassisted goal by sophomore Mason Schemenauer from inside a crowd in front of the Irish net, trimming the gap to 3-2 with 9:11 still to play before the intermission.

The Skippers held a 17-6 edge in shots-on-goal in the period, but the Irish again took a one-goal lead into the third.

That changed when Sturgis tied things up on his second goal of the night with 14:15 remaining in regulation. But neither team scored from there, sending the game to overtime and setting the stage for Hardie’s heroics.