Mike Randolph isn’t easily impressed. He’s coached 900-plus games in 34 seasons, won a couple of state championships and was behind the bench for one of the greatest games in state history (see: Duluth East v. Apple Valley, 1996).
It takes more than a toe-drag or two or a well-placed saucer pass to get Randolph’s juices flowing. And flowing — make that gushing — they were on Jan. 21 after St. Thomas Academy beat Hermantown 3-0 in Mendota Heights.
“I must say this was a wow game, and I've been waiting for a wow game,” Randolph, in his first season leading the Cadets, said in reference to sophomore goaltender Cody Niesen’s goaltending performance. “We like to say to our goalies, ‘You’re gonna have to make five, six tough saves.’ I don’t care at what level. That’s just the way it is.
“You're gonna break down when you're playing a really good team. And he was there for those five or six tough saves. We’re very happy with his effort.”
Randolph didn’t know it at the time, but Niesen’s 20-save “wow game” ended Hermantown’s streak of 182 games without a shutout loss, dating to Dec. 18, 2015. Double wow.
No. 7 St. Thomas Academy (16-5-0), which starts the week on a six-game win streak and ends it with Saturday’s showdown against rival Hill-Murray, has been climbing the Class 2A rankings in large part because of its goaltending. Senior Tyler Magozzi ranks fifth in the state with a 1.41 goals-against average and Niesen is 10th at 1.56. Magozzi’s .934 save percentage puts him at ninth in the state. Niesen isn’t far behind at .921.
Magozzi has 13 starts this season and Niesen nine. Randolph said, as of the victory over Hermantown, he hadn’t determined who would be his starter in the section playoffs.
“Both of them are playing very well,” Randolph said. “And it's healthy competition between the two of them.”
Added Niesen: “We’re both making each other better every day in practice. Even though we're competitive, there's still a friendship there. So get on to the games and play our hearts out.”
No. 12-1A Little Falls (13-8-1) could elbow its way into the small-school top 10 with a win over visiting No. 9-1A Detroit Lakes (15-5-1) on Thursday. … No. 13-2A Duluth East (15-6-1) plays its first top-10 team since a 4-1 loss to Minnetonka on Jan. 14 when it hosts No. 4-2A Rogers (14-3-3) and standout defenseman Chase Cheslock on Saturday. … No. 3-2A Edina (15-4-1) and clutch scorer Jackson Nevers (14 goals) take aim at No. 1 Minnetonka (19-2-0), which began the week on a 10-game win streak, when the teams meet on Saturday at Edina’s Braemar Arena. … The entertainment value is ridiculously high when Northwest Suburban Conference rivals No. 5-2A Andover and No. 8-2A Maple Grove meet (who could forget last year’s state title game?) and Saturday’s showdown in Maple Grove promises the usual array of fireworks.