After Mound Westonka cut Blake's lead to 3-2 in the third period, Bears coach Shawn Reid started scheming the next line shift.

His players focused on payback. "Nothing hurts more than when after you score, the other team pops one right back in," junior forward Alex Lovaas said. "It's kind of like an 'in your face' type of thing to the other team."

Lovaas answered the White Hawks' second goal with two of her own, leading No. 3 seed Blake to a 5-2 victory over tournament newcomer Mound Westonka on Wednesday in the second Class 1A quarterfinal at the Xcel Energy Center.

Liz Schepers' goal at 12 minutes, 19 seconds of the final period gave the White Hawks hope, but Lovaas crushed it seven seconds later with her first goal, then 2 1/2 minutes later she scored again, shorthanded.

Mound Westonka coach Chris Erickson warned of a Blake counterpunch but also encouraged his girls to attack.

"We thought we could skate with them and make them make mistakes," Erickson said. "We had a one-second mental lapse and it cost us."

Said Lovaas: "That's something we're always trying to think about. After they score, you don't want them to get momentum."

First-period goals from Carly Bullock and Ali Ahn put the Bears ahead 2-0. Karlie Lund extended the lead to 3-0 a little more than two minutes into the second period. Mound Westonka responded on a goal from Abby Brustad to shrink Blake's lead to 3-1 after two periods.

DAVID LA VAQUE