Chanhassen boys hockey team wins first-ever state tournament game
Chanhassen easily won its first-ever state tournament game Thursday, beating Rochester Century/John Marshall 7-0.
The Class 2A quarterfinal game started pretty evenly, with no scoring for the first 16 minutes.
Chanhassen Coach Sean Bloomfield said it took a bit for his team, in their first tournament appearance, to get a feel for the ice.
“I think maybe a little bit of nerves to start off when we had the puck, that’s where it’s going to show, but they settled in really nice and obviously, it worked out as the game went on,” said Bloomfield.
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The players said it was thrilling to skate in front of the mostly filled Xcel Energy Center crowd.
“It’s great,” Ryan McPartland, a junior forward. “It’s definitely a dream come true for all of us here with the big crowd and watching it, and just having dreams into reality.”
Chanhassen scored late in the first period, and then began rolling in the second and third periods, adding three more goals in each. Senior Forward Jake Risch said the team got used to the stage as the game went on.
“The lights weren't as bright. We just kind of got settled into our game,” he said. “I mean, we’re always gonna play our game. But it really became fun at that point. We were like, ‘We’re here. There’s no need to be nervous, like, just play our game. And everything’s gonna come to us after that.’”
The Storm are the number two seed in the tournament. They were ranked fifth in the state ate the end of the year.
But they had to get through a juggernaut to get here. They upset the number one ranked, undefeated Minnetonka Skippers in the section 2AA title game one week ago.
“It’s just been wild, surreal,” said Ty Uhlenkamp, whose son Gavin is a senior forward. “It’s been a long week — longest week I’ve had — but it’s just been a fun ride.”
In 2023, the Storm lost to Minnetonka in the section 2AA title game, a double overtime loss that stayed with the team coming into this season.
“We thought if everyone came back from juniors and kept the team together, we’d have a good shot,” said Uhlenkamp. “And now we’re here.”
Uhlenkamp said to see his son play in front of a huge tournament crowd — and score a goal — was surreal.
“I always hoped he’d have this chance to do that. Now, actually seeing him on the big stage. It’s just been awesome to watch,” he said.
Chad Lee watched his son Caden play in the first game of the day Thursday. Caden scored once and had two assists (and a couple of near goals that were called back).
Lee, who grew up in Moorhead and has been coming to the tournament for decades, said just seeing his son on the ice at the Xcel Energy Center was amazing.
“There’s nothing like it. I tell people from outside the state of Minnesota what this is like and a picture can’t describe it until you get here and you get to feel it,” he said. “And then when your kid is in it, it’s a little bit different, a lot more special.”
Chanhassen will face Cretin-Derham Hall at 6 p.m. Friday in the Class AA Semifinal.