As head coach for the most decorated girls' hockey program in Minnesota history, Dave Palmquist has seen plenty from behind the South St. Paul bench.
Friday's 4-2 Class 1A semifinal victory over two-time defending champion and No. 2 seed Warroad at Xcel Energy Center ranks right up there.
"One of the finest victories we've had," the Packers coach said.
The Packers were on their heels when the Warriors' Lisa Marvin scored 22 seconds into the third period, tying the score at 2-2.
Then Emily Reibert changed the tone with one long wrist shot. And then another.
The first came when she took a perfect drop pass from Riley Viner at the top of the faceoff circle in front of the Warroad goal and buried a shot into the lower right-corner of the net, breaking the tie with 5 minutes, 25 seconds left.
Later, Reibert's flutter puck from the neutral zone trickled to an empty net with 32.9 seconds left, clinching third-seed South St. Paul's seventh trip to a state championship game.
"The best game I've ever played in," said Sam LaShomb, who assisted on Reibert's game-winner. "Nobody quit."
Freshman goaltender Sydney Conley stoned Warroad scoring leader Kayla Gardner on a pair of point-blank opportunities in a severely one-sided first period.
The shy Conley let out a hushed "a lot" when asked how much confidence those stops gave her.
She finished with 17 saves.
Added Palmquist: "[Conley] put us in the position we were in at the end of the game still tied, still in position to win. ... I couldn't be more proud."
The victory avenged lopsided losses to Warroad in last year's Class 1A title game and earlier this season in a holiday tournament.
"We still have unfinished business," Reibert said.
