Coming into the state tournament, Mahtomedi senior Corey Bohmert didn't have a multigoal game this season. He's had opportunities the past month but has "been a little snakebitten," coach Jeff Poeschl said.
"He's been telling us, he's saving them for when they count," Poeschl said.
They counted in a big way when Bohmert recorded a hat trick in Wednesday's 6-3 victory over Alexandria in the Class 1A boys hockey tournament quarterfinals at Xcel Energy Center. Bohmert's biggest goal of the game came on a tic-tac-toe passing play with 17 seconds remaining in the second period, tying the score 3-3 after the Zephyrs trailed in the first period.
"It kind of set the tone for the third, for sure," Bohmert said. "The locker room was pretty hyped. We needed that."
No. 3 seed Mahtomedi (21-8) scored four unanswered goals after trailing 3-2. Bohmert completed a hat trick in the third period, for his 11th goal of the season, after Charlie Drage gave the Zephyrs the lead.
The teams combined for five goals in a 6:09 span early in the first period, with Alexandria taking 2-1 and 3-2 leads.
"It's an adrenaline rush, for sure," said Alexandria senior Tyler Kludt, who scored the team's first goal. "That's kind of what you want to do to start the state tournament, especially as an underdog."
Unseeded Alexandria (14-13-1) was looking for its second upset in as many years, after defeating fourth seed Minneapolis in last year's quarterfinals as the fifth seed.
