McConnell leads Edina over Andover in Minnesota High School Boys Hockey State Tournament Quarterfinals

His first period hat trick was what the Hornets needed to advance to another state semifinals

Edina is looking for its 15th boys hockey state title in school history | Jeff lawler

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Andover head coach Mark Manney described playing Edina as “a death by a thousand cuts.” The Hornets are a big team and they know how to be physical. Sometimes, the referees notice too. 

After 51 minutes of play, the Hornets scored three goals and killed four of five penalties to defeat No. 6 Andover 3-1 in the 2026 MSHSL Class 2A quarterfinal on Thursday at Grand Casino Arena. 

“They’re a big, strong team,” Manney said. “I don’t know if they’re the most skilled team we’ve played, but they’re definitely in the conversation for the hardest to play against.”

Junior forward Bode McConnell provided plenty of skill for the Hornets. He scored all three Edina goals in the first period, his second consecutive hat trick of the season and sixth game with three or more goals. 

“He’s been really good,” Edina head coach Curt Giles said. “He scored a bunch of goals for us early, then he had a bit of a drought in the middle of the season, and he’s picked it back up toward the end of the season again.”

Andover pushed back in the second period. The Huskies drew three penalties and scored on one of the power plays when Jack Rykkeli put the puck past Edina senior goalie Chase Bjorgaard. 

“We didn’t know it at the time, but we were probably out of the game by the time we got going,” Manney said. 

Andover thought it cut the lead to 3-2 shortly after its first goal, but a replay review overturned the goal for offsides. What momentum the Huskies had deflated when the referee signaled no-goal, and the Hornets regrouped to finish the game at 3-1.

“The best teams in the world are the teams that have amnesia,” Giles said. “You’ve got to forget what happened and keep rolling and get back to your game, and these guys have been able to do that for most of this year.”

The Hornets will play No. 2 Moorhead in a rematch of the 2025 Class 2A semifinal. The Spuds won on their way to win the Class 2A championship. Edina got partial revenge with a win over the Spuds in the Class 6A Prep Bowl in football this fall, but the Hornets are also hoping for revenge on the ice. 

“They have so many offensive players who can handle the puck so well,” Giles said. “We’re going to have to play a certain way to have an opportunity to challenge their skill level, but I think we’re built to give them a run for their money.”

Edina defeats Andover in Minnesota High School Boys Hockey State Tournament Quarterfinals: Live Score Recap

FIRST PERIOD UPDATES

Edina wins the opening faceoff, and the game is underway.

GOAL EDINA! Bode McConnell makes the Huskies pay after they turned the puckk over in their offensive zone. Tucker Johnson grabbed the puck from a Huskie defender and found McConnell open by the right side of the net — Edina 1, Andover 0 — 12:25

Power play for Andover! Edina's Gage Geyer goes to the penalty box for tripping — 6:37

GOAL EDINA! The Hornets score right as they returned to full strength. They took advantage of a 4-on-1 opportunity when Dylan Donnay slid the puck across the zone to McConnell, and it hit his skate and went in. Becker Wenkus also credited with an assist — Edina 2, Andover 0 — 4:26

GOAL EDINA! McConnell has a hat trick in the first period. The Huskies turned the puck over in their own zone again, and this time, McConnell carried it to the middle of the zone and sniped it into the top right corner — Edina 3, Andover 0 — 1:10

END OF FIRST PERIOD: Edina 3, Andover 0

SOG
Edina: 18
Andover: 8

SECOND PERIOD UPDATES

The second period is underway.

Power play for Andover! Edina's Geyer is called for interference — 15:16

Edina kills the power play. Andover had a shot hit the post from Brody Peterson, but they remain scoreless — 13:16

Power play for Andover! Brady Peterson goes to the penalty box for slashing — 12:15

Edina kills the Andover power play. The penalty ended with Andover goalie Wyatt Reimer making an impressive save on a 2-on-1 opportunity for Edina — 10:15

Power play for Andover! Edina's Nash Paine gets two minutes for tripping — 7:35

GOAL ANDOVER! The Huskies get one during the power play. Edina goalie Chase Bjorgaard failed to coral a rebound, and the puck to the front of the net for Andover's Jack Rykkeli to score. Assist by Camden Langfeld and KJ Sauer — Edina 3, Andover 1 — 7:14

Andover has a goal overturned by replay. Lanfeld sniped the puck past Bjorgaard's glove hand, but after review, he was ruled offsides — 4:45

Power play for Edina! Chase Nadeau gets two minutes for cross checking — 4:20

The Huskies kill the penalty.

END OF SECOND PERIOD: Edina 3, Andover 1

SOG
Edina: 34
Andover: 16

THIRD PERIOD UPDATES

The third period is underway.

Power play for Edina! Rykkeli goes to the penalty box for elbowing — 15:49

Andover kills the penalty. Reimer made a great glove save on a shot from McConnell to keep the Hornets off the scoreboard — 13:49

Power play for Andover! Donnay goes to the box for tripping — 10:56

Edina kills the penalty. Andover is now 1-of-5 on the power play.

Five minutes remain in the game, and Edina still leads 3-1. Reimer made another good save, this time on a 1-on-1 with McConnell.

Andover pulls its goalie down by two goals with one minute remaining. The Huskies had a breakwawy chance, but Keaton Coe could not finish the backhand attempt.

FINAL: Edina 3, Andover 1

SOG
Edina: 48
Andover: 10

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