One play early in the second period set the tone for the rest of the Lake Conference matchup between Wayzata and Minnetonka on Thursday night.

On the penalty kill, Wayzata junior defenseman Hank Sorensen simply out-willed a Skipper defender, beat him to the puck and snapped a shot past Minnetonka goaltender Thomas Hanson to give the Trojans a 1-0 lead.

The Trojans carried that momentum for the rest of the game, thumping the Skippers 4-0 at the Pagel Activity Center in Minnetonka.

“The goal that Hank scored was phenomenal,” Trojans head coach Pat O’Leary said after the game. “He just out-skated the guy and buried it.”

Senior forwards Luke Paterson, Jeff Greeninger and Billy Duma scored one goal each in the third period, and the inspired play of senior goaltender Alex Schilling cemented the win for the Trojans (11-6-1), who are ranked No. 13 in the latest Class 2A coaches’ poll.

The No. 2-ranked Skippers (13-5-0) pumped 22 shots on Schilling, who stood tall against five power play chances for Minnetonka.

“I was just dialed in, ready to go for my teammates,” Schilling said, adding that the stage of a Lake Conference rivalry game helped amplify the game’s significance. 

The win was Schilling’s second shutout of the season. Schilling’s teammates were ready to go for their goaltender as well, defending the Trojans’ net with gusto throughout the win.

“I’ve got some big, strong (defensemen) back there, and they’re not afraid to drop (opponents) sometimes,” Schilling said with a laugh.

The physical play and penchant for crease control is a constant theme for the Trojans, who have no problem crashing an opponent’s net and making the opposing goaltender uncomfortable.

“If we’re in front of their goalie, and frustrating those guys defensively, that’s what we want to do,” O’Leary said. “We’re just going to grind people out.”

Schilling said the growing bond between the players and coaches is partly responsible for the Trojans’ strong play as of late, including a win over Lake Conference rival Edina on Jan. 16.

“We talk about a lot of trust,” Schilling explained. “(Players) are really buying into the system, and things are going our way right now.”