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Orioles' victory no small thing

By Loren Nelson, Editor, 04/26/10, 10:44AM CDT

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Undersized Bergeron sparks St. Louis Park's big win over Delano

Max Bergeron already had the hat trick, but he wanted more.

And the St. Louis Park junior wasn’t necessarily looking for another goal.

No, with the Orioles comfortably ahead in the fourth quarter, Bergeron was zoned in on Delano’s Jack Prinsen at midfield. With Prinsen focused on the ball, Bergeron stepped in front of the Rage attackman and delivered one of the biggest hits of the game.

Not bad for guy who stands 5-foot-7 and weighs – after a hearty meal, maybe, just maybe – 160 pounds.

“That was pretty big for me,” Bergeron said about the hit after the Orioles' 6-1 victory on Monday, April 26, at St. Louis Park Junior High School. “I’m usually the one getting rocked. I can’t usually hit people like that, but I caught him off guard I guess.”

Bergeron’s impact was felt just as heavily in the late stages of the third quarter, when he scored three consecutive goals to turn a 2-0 St. Louis Park advantage into a breathe-easy 5-0 bulge.

“I don’t know, we moved it around pretty well,” Bergeron said about the difference between the Orioles’ four-goal third quarter and a first half that saw the teams combine for just one goal. “Everybody started catching and passing, moving the ball a lot faster.”

Penalties proved costly for Delano (2-1) in the second half, as St. Louis Park (3-0) capitalized by scoring twice with an extra-man advantage.

“Our penalties killed us,” Delano coach Larry Hunter said. “There are some discipline issues we are going to have to clean up. I’ll take the blame on the loss and we’ll move forward.

“Hopefully we’ll see these guys in the state tournament and drop-kick them then.”

Delano, featuring several players from its conference championship hockey team, looked to have a size and strength advantage over the Orioles. But the Rage had trouble penetrating a St. Louis Park defense that limited them to only a handful of quality scoring chances.

“They probably had three really good chances,” said St. Louis Park freshman goaltender Will Harkema, who came within 4 minutes, 58 seconds of registering the shutout. “Most of them were just really long shots or shots off the net.”

Delano finished with just 12 shots on goal.

“I was telling the guys the defensive effort was nothing short of the best I’ve seen out of any of the teams I’ve coached,” said St. Louis Park coach Kevin Reed, who guided the Orioles to the 2008 Minnesota Boys Scholastic Lacrosse Association title. “My guys were quick on the ground balls.”

St. Louis Park was, admittedly, extra juiced to play Delano in a matchup of teams loaded with sophomores and juniors who played each other three times last season as freshmen and sophomores. Delano won all three of those games.

“We came in thinking this was going to be a lot closer game, but then it just opened up and people started shooting and placing shots,” Bergeron said. “Everybody was on fire tonight.

“We were so hyped for this game, and we actually came through.”

Loren Nelson

Loren Nelson

MN Lax Hub Managing Editor

Phone: 612-379-1030 (ext. 126)

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THREE STARS

1. Max Bergeron, St. Louis Park
Junior attackman scored all three of his goals in the second half as the Orioles broke open a 1-0 nailbiter. Bergeron also dished out one of the most eye-catching hits of the game, given his diminutive (5-foot-7, 160-pounds) stature, at midfield when he leveled Delano's Jack Prinsen.

2. Will Harkema, St. Louis Park
Freshman goalkeeper wasn't tested often, but allowing just one goal against a quality opponent is a star-worthy performance. Harkema finished with 11 saves.

3.
Jack Prinsen, Delano
Prinsen ruined the Orioles' shutout bid with just less than five minutes remaining when he unloaded a hard shot that rocketed into the right side of the goal.

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