Chaska pulled off a dramatic comeback in the Section 2AA first-round playoff matchup, defeating Bloomington Jefferson 6-5 in overtime at the Chaska Community Center.
Bloomington Jefferson came out strong in the second period, scoring four goals to take a commanding lead. Anders Bjorklund opened the scoring just 14 seconds into the period, and the Jaguars quickly added two more before Chaska responded. The Hawks kept themselves in the game with goals from Brayden Soderstrom and Tyler Hromatka but still trailed 4-2 heading into the third.
The Jaguars extended their lead early in the third when Bjorklund completed his hat trick to make it 5-2. However, Chaska stormed back with three unanswered goals from Tyler Schmieg, Bridger Kolesar, and Jake Campbell to tie the game at 5-5.
The game remained deadlocked until 7:12 into overtime when Schmieg buried the game-winning goal, capping off an incredible rally and sending Chaska to the next round.
Chaska goaltender Tyler Nesheim made 45 saves on 50 shots (.900 SV%) to backstop the Hawks to victory, while Bloomington Jefferson’s Owen Matthews turned away 34 of 40 shots (.850 SV%) in the loss.
With the victory, Chaska advances to the Section 2AA quarterfinals, while Bloomington Jefferson’s season comes to a heartbreaking end.
