When Benilde-St. Margaret’s edged rival Blake 5-4 in their nonconference matchup on Tuesday, it was the the Red Knights' third straight win. 

It was also Benilde-St. Margaret's first victory over Blake since 2013 and it came courtesy of two former members of the Bears lacrosse program, Red Knights' coach Rob Horn and goaltender Cade Gleekel.

“I love the coaches over (at Blake). They’re good guys,” Gleekel said after the game. 

“But it always feels good to stick it to a school you came from,” he added with a grin. 

Gleekel, who entered this week with a 3-3 record and 54 saves on the season, proved to be a thorn in the side of the Bears on Tuesday as he helped Benilde-St. Margaret's withstand a late Blake charge to escape with a victory.

The senior transferred to Benilde-St. Margaret’s two years ago after playing with Blake's varsity lacrosse and hockey programs as a freshman and sophomore.

He posted a 4-7 record, a 7.85 goals-against average and a .627 save percentage in 12 regular-season games last year.

Horn started his coaching career as a Red Knights' assistant before taking over the Bears program in 2008. He led Blake to a state title in his first season and a state tournament berth the next year. 

In 2010 and 2011, the Red Knights defeated the Horn-led Bears in the Section 5 finals, further interweaving the connection between the two programs. 

Horn, who said he loved his time coaching the Bears, eventually departed the program after four years. He spent time at Wayzata as an assistant coach before returning to Benilde-St. Margaret's prior to the start of this season. 

“I had to come home,” Horn said. “This is home.”

Horn’s second stint with the Red Knights has not been without growing pains, including a lackluster 1-3 start. 

“We are finding our stride, but we’re just scratching the surface right now,” Horn said. “We’ve still got a lot left to do.”

Horn said some of the team's early struggles were due to a lack of familiarity between the new coaching staff and the players, as well as slow starts in multiple games. 

“To be honest, we look at our schedule and (feel) we should’ve been 6-0,” Horn said. “We came out flat in a couple games.”

Benilde-St. Margaret's hasn't been flat in its last three games, as the Red Knights knocked off Metro West Conference rivals Bloomington Kennedy and Chanhassen prior to their victory over Blake. 

In a performance that mirrored its season, Benilde-St. Margaret's turned its play around in the second half against the Bears, tallying four goals and making a defensive stand to close out the game.

Junior midfielder Brian Arnold, who scored twice after halftime, said Benilde-St. Margaret's is now drawing energy from Gleekel, who was named the Most Valuable Player last year.  

“Our goalie has been playing great for us, and that’s been boosting us every game,” Arnold said. “At the beginning of the year, (our play) was a little sloppy. But we’ve been picking it up day by day." 

Gleekel's accolades aren't limited to the lacrosse field. This year as a member of Benilde-St. Margaret's hockey team, he was a Mr. Hockey award finalist, named to the Star-Tribune's All-Metro first team and selected to the Associated Press all-state team. Gleekel finished the season as the Red Knights' leader in goals (22), assists (36) and points (58).

His most recent honor, however, came not from the field or the ice, but from a place of faith. 

This spring, Gleekel became the 80th male winner of the Hy Truman Donald Goldberg Memorial Award, which is given annually to an outstanding senior Jewish scholar-athlete in the Minneapolis area by the Mercury Club.

Winners are selected based on athletic accomplishments, scholastic achievement and community and religious involvement, according to the organization's website. The club was started in the 1920’s by a group of men interested in sports, school, family, social justice and the Jewish community and continues upholding those traditions today.

Gleekel said he’s honored to have received the award and that his connection to the Benilde-St. Margaret's community was one reason he passed up a chance to leave high school and play junior hockey for the North American Hockey League’s Aberdeen Wings. 

“I love high school hockey and lacrosse,” Gleekel said, adding that he wanted a degree before moving on from high school. 

“I love Benilde and I wanted to finish things here.”

Junior midfielder Brian Arnold scored two goals to lead Benilde-St. Margaret’s to a 5-4 road victory over Blake on Tuesday evening in Hopkins. 

The Red Knights scored two goals in succession - including Arnold's second of the night - midway through the fourth quarter to break a 3-3 tie. Benilde-St. Margaret's then held off a late Bears’ charge to escape with the victory and extend its winning streak to three games. 

Carston Swenson, Ben Scherer and Quinn Ehlen each scored one goal for the Red Knights (4-3), who notched the win against a Section 5 rival. 

Attackers Nick Crosby, Jimmy Gruver, Tom Bauer and midfielder Jeff Santelli scored one goal apiece for the Bears (3-5). 

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