It wasn’t a goal that swung the momentum firmly to the Edina side of the ice in Saturday’s 4-2 win over St. Thomas Academy, but rather the inspired play of the Hornet penalty killers.

With the score at 2-1 in Edina’s favor early in the third period, sophomore Max Borst and senior Bram Scheerer took penalties eight seconds apart, forcing the Hornets into a precarious five-on-three shorthanded situation.

The St. Thomas Academy power play had already converted on nearly 20 percent of its power play chances, but were thwarted by an opportunistic and relentless defense from by the Hornets.

“You’re going to need penalty killing somewhere down the road where it’s extremely important, like it was tonight against a good hockey team,” Edina coach Curt Giles said after the win, adding that the tide of the game shifted back to the Hornets after the successful kill. “It’s a big turn, and if you can kill something like that off it’s a bonus to the kids. It kind of changes the momentum back.”

Junior forward Lewis Crosby netted a goal in the win for the Hornets, ranked No. 7 in the latest Class AA state coaches’ poll, giving him seven goals and 17 points on the season, eclipsing his sophomore scoring total of 16 points.

“I like my linemates a lot, Jett (Jungels) and Mason (Nevers), we work really well together,” Crosby said.

Jungels and Nevers are both sophomores, two of seven underclassmen that dot the Hornet lineup.

Senior forward and Colorado College commit Bram Scheerer scored two goals in the win, including a shorthanded beauty on a breakaway in the third period to make the score 3-1 Hornets (8-3-0).

Juniors Payton Matsui and Ray Christy tallied goals for No. 5-AA St. Thomas Academy (8-2-1).

Edina senior defenseman Luke Johnson recorded two assists in the win, and said that taking home the hardware from the Schwan’s Cup Gold Division is a symbolic milestone for the team’s less experienced players.

“It’s good for the younger kids to win a tournament like this, because it shows that we can play with all these guys,” Johnson said, referring to the talented crop of teams competing in the tournament’s Gold Division. “It’s a good confidence boost.”

Crosby says that the Hornets intend to carry that confidence into the season’s home stretch.

“We’re just trying to get better and better as the year goes on,” Crosby said. “We want to keep going until March, and hopefully (reach) a state tournament.”