Clinging to a two-goal lead and down a player due to a two-minute non-releasable penalty, Blake goaltender Nick Washuta spent the final three minutes of the Section 5 championship game against Benilde-St. Margaret’s under duress.
“I was kind of freaking out in the inside the last half of the game,” Washuta said. But it didn't show as the senior shut out the Red Knights in the final 12 minutes to help the Bears escape with a 7-5 victory Wednesday night and earn a trip to the state tournament.
Benilde-St. Margaret's knew it had to stretch the corners to get past Washuta, who has been starting between the pipes for Blake since his freshman year. The Red Knights didn't have much luck as Washuta finished with 19 saves in the game.
Most of the Red Knights’ final shots weren’t landing, but they continued to retain possession before Washuta intercepted a long inbound pass with 20 seconds remaining.
He said it was a huge relief to hold the ball for a brief moment before hurling it across Benilde-St. Margaret's endline, leaving just 13 seconds on the clock and 80 yards for the top-seeded Red Knights to cover. The ploy worked and ultimately clinched the game for second-seeded Blake (10-6).
“Nick Washuta is one of the best goalies in the state, if not the best,” Benilde-St. Margaret's coach Rob Horn said. “It was a firing range and he stepped up in front of every one of them and did his job for his team.”
Washuta’s performance propelled Blake to its fourth consecutive state tournament appearance, yet the Bears came into the finals as the underdog after surrendering a 5-4 loss to the Red Knights in the regular season.
Both games were highlighted by gritty goaltending and tenacious defensive efforts on both sides.
“There’s a mutual respect there. We look at (Benilde-St. Margaret's) as a very good team,” Blake coach Frank Clark said. “They are consistently a good team and when we meet there’s a familiarity there which builds some tension.”
Horn has experienced triumphs and hardships on both sides of the ongoing rivalry.
He began his coaching career as an assistant for Benilde-St. Margaret's before leaving to helm Blake’s program. He led the Bears to their first state title in 2008, and after losses in the section finals in 2010 and 2011, Horn returned to his self-proclaimed home with the Red Knights.
“It’s a fun game. The boys get excited on both halves, and that’s what’s great about it,” Horn said. “Someone’s gotta win, and someone’s gotta lose.”
The Bears started their season 3-6 but are riding a seven-game winning streak and have defeated a host of teams ranked in the coaches' poll in that span, including No. 12 Minnetonka, No. 13 Chanhassen, No. 7 Eden Prairie and No. 14 Robbinsdale Armstrong (Section 5 semifinals).
Washuta believes Blake’s recent success has been a result of learning to win with new teammates who brought with them experience playing in a variety of sports throughout the school year.
“We have a close team and every year, it's different,” Washuta said referring to each of his four trips to the state tournament. “We all love each other and to come together at the end has been a wild experience.”
First Report
Senior goaltender Nick Washuta posted 19 saves in Blake’s 7-5 victory over Benilde-St. Margaret's in the Section 5 championship game on Wednesday evening at Robbinsdale Armstrong High School.
The fourth quarter began with the score tied at 5, but the final 12 minutes belonged to the second-seeded Bears, as Washuta shut out the top-seeded Red Knights (10-6) and Conor McDonough and Tom Bauer each scored a goal to clinch the the fourth consecutive state tournament berth for Blake (10-6).
Brian Arnold scored three goals for Benilde-St. Margaret's while goaltender Cade Gleekel made 11 saves.
