Trojans top Kennedy, fall to Delano in 2A hockey

The New Prague Trojans registered a thrilling win over Bloomington Kennedy Wednesday, Feb. 22, in the opening round of the Section 2A boys hockey tournament, but saw their season end two nights later at the hands of top-seeded Delano.

New Prague ended its season with an 8-16-2 record. Delano went on to win its semifinal game against Blake Tuesday, Feb. 28, and will face No. 2 seed Breck for the section championship at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 2, at the Parade Ice Garden in Minneapolis. The matchup will feature the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked teams in the state.

Trojans 3, Eagles 2 New Prague got things going quickly when Blake Woodson found the net just 1:13 into the first period, on an assist form Jake Pirkl. Woodson took a pass from Pirkl and fired from the right circle, beating the Kennedy goaltender.

But the Eagles tied the game at 13:35 of the period and the teams went into the locker room with a 1-1 tie.

The second period saw New Prague control much of the action, but they were unable to capitalize on their opportunities. Each team had two power play opportunities, but the Trojans had a big advantage in shots at 13-4. New Prague’s penalty kill held the Eagles to just one shot on goal during the two power plays, and New Prague put constant pressure on the Kennedy net.

The Trojans scored at...

To see more on this story pick up the March 2, 2017 print edition of The New Prague Times.