Blake Feinstein powers Clayton past Lafayette and into first Wickenheiser Cup final

Feinstein’s hat trick led the Greyhounds to a 4-3 win over Lafayette in Game 2 of their Mid States Club Hockey Association Wickenheiser Cup semifinal series at the Centene Community Ice Center on Saturday.

Clayton (18-4-2 overall, 4-0-1 postseason) advanced to its first Wickenheiser Cup championship game with the win.

“I'm still in shock,” Feinstein said. “I mean, it's an amazing feeling to be in this position. You know something Clayton’s never been able to do before. So, to be able to achieve something like this is just a testament to all the hard work that we're putting in from top to bottom.”

After winning Game 1 on Friday, Clayton only needed a tie to advance. Feinstein’s last goal tied the game at 3-all, forcing Lafayette to pull its goalie for the extra skater. After a couple of big saves from Branden Turpin to keep the Lancers at bay, Brayden Mitchell iced the game with an empty netter with 45 seconds left.

“It's a great experience,” said Mitchell, who attends Parkway North, which doesn’t have a hockey team. “I don't go to Clayton, but they brought me in and it's great to battle for them.”

Turpin made 26 saves for Clayton.

“We knew they were going to come out hot, you know, season on the line and a lot to play for,” Clayton coach Cory Cannon said. “You know they had a chance to win and push it through a minigame. The goal for us is to play our game. We believe that if we play our brand of hockey, we can compete with anybody.”

Greyson Eble scored twice and Matthew Ridgeway also scored for Lafayette (14-9-2, 3-2-0). Noah Frank made 25 saves.

Ridgeway gave Lafayette the lead at 5:23 of the first period, burying a slick backhand pass from Drew Robinson.

Eble made it 2-0 Lancers at 5:05 of the second period, using some nifty stickhandling to get around a Greyhounds defender before ripping a wrister from the slot.

“We just had to keep battling it out against these guys,” Clayton's Patrick Clifford said. “We knew we were outshooting them and we knew we could beat him. It was just coming from our hearts at that point.”

Feinstein got Clayton on the board with a power play goal at 11:07 of the second.

Feinstein knotted the game at 2-all with an unassisted power play goal at 2:25 of the third period, forcing a turnover in the Lancers’ zone to free himself in front of the net.

Eble answered with an unassisted goal of his own at 5:15 to regain the Lancers’ advantage.

“They score it early, but we kind of didn't let it bother us,” Cannon said. “We kind of just kept going about our business, which is what we coach, what we preach. And I think they really did a good job of that.”

Feinstein’s third came at 8:34 to even it back up. The unassisted goal came off a blast from the right circle that trickled in off Frank’s pads.

“Using (the defenseman) as a screen, you know, throwing the goalie off a little bit, changing the angle,” Feinstein said. “It worked so we're happy with the result.”

About last night

Clayton scored four times in the third period to pull out a 5-2 win over Lafayette in game 1 on Friday night.

Charles Thompson had two goals and two assists and Feinstein and Mitchell each had a goal and an assist for the Greyhounds. Turpin made 30 saves.

Eble and Ridgeway scored for the Lancers. Frank made 28 saves.

We want the Cup

Clayton will face top-seeded Ladue (22-2-2) in the Wickenheiser Cup championship game on Friday, March 1, at 5:30 p.m. at Centene. The Rams, who are seeking their third Wickenheiser Cup and first since 2021, beat the Greyhounds in both regular season matchups.

The event has sold out since being held at Centene. Mid States encourages fans to reserve their VIP tickets early on its website www.midstateshockey.us.