ST. PAUL -- Two years ago, Duluth East beat Edina at Xcel Energy Center in one of the six overtime periods it played in that state tournament.
Last year, the Greyhounds topped the Hornets in the consolation round at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis.
The site again was different last December, but the result the same as East handled Edina at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis in a consolation game of the Schwan Cup.
The scenario was repeating itself in Friday's Minnesota Class AA high school boys hockey semifinal -- until the third period. That's when Miguel Fidler, Tyler Nanne and Andy Jordahl all scored goals -- the latter two 19 seconds apart -- to lift Edina to a 3-2 victory before a near-sellout crowd at Xcel Energy Center.
The defeat ended East's 17-game win streak and sent the second-seeded Greyhounds (25-5) into today's third-place game against Wayzata at 4 p.m. at Xcel. The third-seeded Hornets (24-6) advance into the title game against Hill-Murray at 7.
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"We didn't play very well in the third," East coach Mike Randolph said. "We didn't manage the puck very well, and because of that they jumped on us. They have some pretty good players who can put the puck away."
Fidler smacked home a rebound of a Parker Reno slap shot for the tying goal at 4:11, the first goal allowed by East goaltender Dylan Parker in the tournament. Parker entered the game with four shutouts in his previous five starts.
"The players knew going into the third period that they can't leave anything in the locker room; they knew they were going to win," Edina assistant coach Dave Langevin said. "When we were down 1-0, the players never thought they were going to lose. I knew once we tied the game, it was over."
Edina turned up its physical style of play, quite the opposite of what had occurred in prior encounters against East. Senior defenseman Meirs Moore was one of the Hornets' prime targets.
"By the third period, I was getting tired of getting hit," Moore said. "Every time you moved the puck, they had a big forward that came and finished you into the boards. Toward the end of the game it got into your consciousness a little bit that 'You're going to get run here.' "
That was the game plan, Nanne said.
"The past couple times we played them, they kind of ran us out of the building," Nanne said. "We knew we had to take the body in the corner to get the win. We focused mostly on that and were fortunate to be successful."
Nanne was fortunate, too, on his go-ahead goal. The junior forward brought the puck into East's zone but fanned on the shot, only to glove a clearing attempt and rip the wrist shot past Parker for a 2-1 lead at 11:19.
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One shift later, Jordahl received a backhand pass from Dylan Malmquist and, all alone in the slot, flicked it off the left post.
"That third goal killed us," Randolph said. "You look up at the clock and there's not a lot of time against a very good defensive team, and we hadn't spent much time in the offensive zone."
Moore gave East a chance after an odd carom off the end boards sent the puck toward him at the top of the left faceoff circle. Moore wound up and scored on a wicked slap shot with 1:46 remaining.
But the Greyhounds couldn't overcome the two quick goals.
"That third one, right after the second one, was like a dagger to the heart," said senior Alex Toscano, who notched his 22nd goal of the season in the first period. "We bounced back and Meirs got one, but we just didn't have enough time."
Edina 0-0-3--3
Duluth East 1-0-1--2
First period -- 1. DE, Alex Toscano (Jack Forbort), 2:40.
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Second period -- No scoring.
Third period -- 2. E, Miguel Fidler (Parker Reno), 4:11; 3. E, Tyler Nanne, 11:19; 4. E, Andy Jordahl (Dylan Malmquist), 11:38; 5. DE, Meirs Moore (Andrew Kerr), 15:14.
Saves -- Willie Benjamin, E, 19; Dylan Parker, DE, 22.
