STILLWATER - Hill-Murray raced to a big early lead then held on to beat Metro East Conference rival Mahtomedi 4-2 at the St. Croix Valley Recreation Center in one of three games played statewide on Wednesday night.
Caden Sampair scored on an end-to-end rush in the first and Brady Ingebritson and Seth Klepac added second-period goals as Hill-Murray (7-8-1) took a 3-0 lead.
Defenseman Cav Bruner scored with 1:24 left in the second for No. 3-1A Mahtomedi (11-5-0) to cut the Pioneers' lead to 3-1.
The Zephyrs pulled to within 3-2 early in the second period on a goal by Charlie Drage. Hill-Murray regained its two-goal lead 1:29 later on an unassisted goal by Jackson Reeves.
Mahtomedi outshot Hill-Murray 33-24. Jack Erickson made 31 saves for the Pioneers. Charlie Brandt stopped 20 shots for the Zephyrs.
Both teams will be among the main attractions on Saturday during Hockey Day Minnesota. Mahtomedi plays Hermantown and Hill-Murray plays White Bear Lake in regionally televised outdoor games at Polar Lakes Park in White Bear Lake.
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ROCHESTER - Four unanswered goals in the second period helped propel Rochester Mayo past intracity rival Rochester Century 5-1 in a Big 9 Conference matchup at Graham Arena.
Ethan Dennis scored twice and Cohen Russell had three assists for conference-leading Rochester Mayo (13-3-1). The Spartans have lost just once in their last 14 games.
Aiden Emerich scored the lone goal for Rochester Century (9-7-0), a shorthanded tally in the third period.
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HOPKINS - Luke Puchner's goal with 1:38 remaining in the second period held up as the winner as Waconia outlasted Hopkins for a 3-1 victory at the Hopkins Pavillion Ice Arena.
Puchner, a freshman forward, scored on a hard wrist shot that sailed over the glove hand of Hopkins goaltender Carson Hauger. The goal was Puchner's 11th of the season, tied for the team led.
Brett Siddons also scored for Waconia (9-7-0) in the second period. Suede Milless' first-period goal put Hopkins (4-12-0) in front 1-0.
Brody Butler had a big night in goal for Waconia, stopping 30 shots. Hauger made 19 saves for the Royals.
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