UPDATED: Moorhead Upsets Eagan 4-0 in State Hockey Tournament

The Eagan High School boys hockey team couldn't push through the determined goalkeeping of Moorhead's Michael Bitzer in the quarter final round of the state boys hockey tournament on Thursday afternoon.

The Wildcats tallied 35 shots to Moorhead's 23 over the course of the game, but failed to score a single goal, falling 4-0 to the Spuds in the class AA state tournament.

The game started well for the third-ranked Wildcats, who entered the state tournament with a 24-3-1 record. The team put early and persistent pressure on the Spuds' defense through the beginning of the second period. But the tide began to turn when Moorhead’s Jesse Doschadis scored off a rebound with 7:31 left in the second period. Moorhead senior Logan Ness scored two more goals in the third period, and the Spuds added a final point with a few minutes remaining in play.

“I thought when they got their second goal, we had to adjust, we had to open it up more than we’re used to, and we had to start pressing,” Eagan head coach Mike Taylor said. “Sometimes when we press, you get less than what you had in the first place. Up until that point…I didn’t think we were in that deep of trouble.”

Thursday’s game wasn’t the first time Eagan has faced a point deficit. Late in February, the team was trailing Park High School until midway through the second period before scoring seven unanswered goals. But Moorhead’s Bitzer turned away shot after shot, making a total of 34 saves throughout the game.

Bitzer’s performance even earned a nod from Eagan senior Michael Zajac, who said Eagan players had discussed getting around or past the goalie and employed different strategies—all to no avail.

“Their goalie is a really good player,” Zajac said following the game. “We tried a bunch of different things. We had a lot of different opportunities”

The defeat parallels the Wildcats' game against Moorhead at the state tournament in 2011, when Eagan took down the Spuds 4-0. But that game was closer than the score would indicate—two of Eagan’s four goals were made against an open net at the end of the game.

“Hockey can be a fickle game,” Taylor said, referring to several missed offensive opportunities for Eagan early in the Thursday match. “I thought we came hard.”

Eagan will play at Mariucci Arena at 10am Friday, March 9, at Mariucci Arena. Ticket windows at Mariucci Arena open one hour before game time.

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