Maple Grove’s top line of Landen Gunderson, Joshua Giuliani and Finn Brink combined for five goals and 10 points as No. 3 Maple Grove figured out the formula to stopping unseeded Prior Lake in a 6-2 win in a Class 2A semifinal Friday night at Xcel Energy Center.
The win puts Maple Grove in its first-ever high school state title game.
Giuliani scored twice and Brink added a third goal as the Crimson exploded to a 3-1 lead after one period. Chayton Fischer and Gunderson scored by the nine-minute mark of the second, and Giuliani finished off the hat trick with a power-play goal to blow the game open after 34 minutes of play.
Prior Lake’s show-stopper and likely Mr. Hockey winner Alex Bump scored 6:56 into the middle frame, but Maple Grove’s depth proved to be too much for the Lakers.
Crimson goaltender Toby Hopp made 20 saves in the win.
The Crimson built a quick 2-0 lead on a pair of Giuliani goals, but Brink’s shorthanded tally in the last minute of the first period proved to be the dagger.
Just three minutes after Prior Lake had scored to cut the lead in half, Maple Grove took a penalty and the game looked to be shifting.
Enter Brink.
His shorthanded rip put Maple Grove up 3-1 and put the game out of reach.
Third-seeded Maple Grove will take on the winner of No. 1 Hill-Murray and No. 5 Andover in tomorrow's Class 2A state championship game.