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For 14 minutes, Ely’s high school hockey team and goaltender Ben Leeson kept heavily favored Cloquet-Esko- Carlton at bay and off the scoreboard.
But it proved to be only a temporary reprieve.
The Lumberjacks’ Bobby Thornton penetrated Ely’s defense and scored with three minutes left in the period, and the floodgates opened.
CEC added three more goals in the next two minutes- plus, and another five in the second period.
That put Tuesday’s Section 7A high school hockey quarterfinal on ice and the third period was played in running time, with the second- seeded Lumberjacks cruising in a 12-0 rout.
Number-seven Ely, which was seeded into the quarterfinals for the first time in program history, was overmatched by a CEC team that’s one of the largest in Class A and competed well with numerous Class AA schools this season Shots on goal were 70-11 in favor of the Lumberjacks, and the hosts had 23 first-period shots - to Ely’s two when Thornton’s goal broke the proverbial dam.
CEC scored in just about every way imaginable.
A minute after Thornton’s goal, Jace Stewart poked in a rebound from the left side to make it 2-09.
Thornton skated in from the right and scored on a beautiful feed from Grady Knutson, and mere seconds after the ensuing faceoff, Knutson drove one home and it was 4-0 after the opening period.
The Wolves, who finished 14-12, were essentially out of it and CEC maintained its dominance in the second period.
Scoring continued less than 30 seconds into the frame as Joey Antonutti let one fly from the left circle, evading Leeson for a 5-0 lead.
Thornton turned on the jets and again sliced through the defense to complete his hat trick, while Stewart scored on a tip-in and then from the left circle for a hat trick of his own.
Ryan Jones drove home a rebound as the hosts extended the lead to 9-0 after two periods.
The rout was on and the clock didn’t stop in the final period, but Antonutti, Cole Painovich and Brody Dushkin added goals for good measure, with Duskin’s coming on a two-on-one with four minutes left.
It was a quiet night for winning goalie Jamis Halverson, who posted the shutout and recorded 11 saves.
Leeson was busy throughout the night, finishing with a season-high 58 stops.
The loss ended one of the best seasons in years for the Wolves, who racked up 14 victories during the regular season - the most since the 2000-2001 season.
Ely also avoided the “play-in” round of the 7A tournament for the first time in program history.
The Wolves last played in the quarterfinal round of the tournament in 2019, but needed a “play-in” victory over International Falls to get there.
Seniors Deegan Richards and Drew Marolt both topped the 100-point scoring mark for their careers, Marolt topped the team in scoring this winter with 41 points while Richards collected 34. Junior Garrett Rohr, freshman Owen Marolt and senior Brecken Sandberg followed with 12 each, and both senior Wes Sandy (11) and junior Jayden Zemke (11) hit double digits as well.
The Wolves, who were led by head coach Jake Myers and assistant Duane Lossing, graduate nine seniors: Drew Marolt, Richards, Sandberg, Sandy, Tommy Homer, Chase Anderson, Kadein Zupancich, Ty Walker and Sam Leeson.
