Bradley Golant has proven himself time and time again on the ice. 

The senior forward began his varsity career as a sophomore who played in 26 games for Lakeville South. In his junior season, Golant led the Cougars in scoring and was selected to the South Suburban All-Conference First Team.

As a senior, Golant is still shedding doubters the same way he sheds opposing defenders.

“I’m small, but I play big,” Golant said on Thursday night, summarizing in just six words his greatest perceived weakness and his greatest strength as a player.

Golant is listed at 5-foot-7 on the Lakeville South roster, but his relentless motor and obvious enthusiasm make him a menace to the defense that lines up against him.

“I go all out,” Golant said of his playing philosophy. “If I get hit, I get right back up. I’m big on energy.”

That same energy propelled the Cougars to a victory on Thursday, dispatching conference rival Burnsville 6-4 behind Golant’s two goals.

“He’s a great role model for kids who aspire to play varsity hockey,” Cougar coach A.J. Bucchino said of Golant after the game. “He’s a workhorse,” Bucchino continued. “He’s undersized, but he’s truly the heartbeat of our team.”

Golant is also a member of the Cougars’ varsity soccer and tennis teams.

The Blaze and the Cougars traded goals throughout the game on Thursday, until Lakeville South’s Dawson Klein beat Blaze netminder Josh Kenney with a low shot to give the Cougars a 5-4 lead. Golant iced the game with an empty-net goal in the final minute.

Zach Bauer, Ethan Boche and Cory Checco each scored once in the win for the Cougars (3-1-1, 2-0-0), and goaltender Isaiah DiLaura made 15 saves.

Golant says that he wasn’t aware his empty-netter had been counted until the crowd’s reaction clued him in. Golant may have been searching for his stick, which ended up on the ice along the boards after he took his shot. 

“I took one last look at the net, fired it down, and I didn’t see it go in,” Golant said. “I just heard everyone cheering, and my stick was God knows where,” Golant grinned.

Roman Ahcan, Daniel Sandvig, Jake Bernhagen and Tyler Smith tallied goals for Burnsville (0-2-0, 0-1-0). 

While beating a league foe is nice, it’s not all Lakeville South has on its collective mind.

“Winning everything,” Bucchino said succinctly when asked if winning the conference was a goal the team set before the season. “We want to go all the way to the Xcel (Energy) Center and prove to the state that we can play with the best teams and possibly contend for a state championship.