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Courtesy of the Star Tribune
by Dean SpirosPioneers overpower Cadets, share Classic Suburban lead
St.Thomas Academy thought it had a team that could challenge Hill-Murray, but the Pioneers beat the upstarts.
The Hill-Murray boys' hockey team takes great pleasure in beating its counterpart from White Bear Lake. To be fair, the boys at White Bear are equally gleeful after being on the winning end of an in-your-face faceoff.
There's nothing unhealthy about that, and in some cases it is downright enviable. The St. Thomas Academy Cadets looks forward to the day Hill-Murray can't stand the sight of them, either.
Rivalries are what make the sports world go 'round, and we've got one brewing in the Classic Suburban League. Reigning heavyweight champ Hill-Murray is being tested by upstart St. Thomas Academy.
The Cadets saw their one-game lead over the Pioneers dissolve Thursday night in Mendota Heights in a 4-2 loss to Hill-Murray (12-2, 6-1).
The Cadets (12-2, 6-1) were a disappointed bunch after an emotional game that had its share of penalties, and not just because it was a matchup between two of the best teams in the metro.
Greg and Tom Vannelli, in their fifth season as co-head coaches at St. Thomas Academy, have used their team's performances against Hill-Murray over the years as a measuring stick of the program's growth. Hill-Murray swept the season series the first two seasons; St. Thomas Academy has earned a split the past two seasons.
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