The Minnesota girls hockey state tournament semifinals were played Friday at Xcel Energy Center. Here’s the way the day played out.
Minnesota state girls hockey semifinals. Get game updates here.
Edina toppled Minnetonka in Class 2A, the last result of a day when both top seeds were eliminated. Traditional power Warroad sunk Class 1A No. 1 Holy Angels. Hill-Murray in 2A and Dodge County in 1A are the other finalists.
By David La Vaque and
Heather Rule
February 24, 2024 at 6:24AM
Game 4 / 10:45 p.m.
Edina stops top seed Minnetonka short again
Edina dispatched top seed Minnetonka 3-2 in Friday’s semifinal, the second consecutive state tournament in which the Skippers came in No. 1 and did not advance to the championship game.
Lake Conference rivals Minnetonka and Edina split their regular-season meetings. No. 4 seed Edina (23-6-1) grabbed the rubber match and left Minnetonka (26-3-1) to ponder what might have been.
The Hornets face Hill-Murray on Saturday. The Pioneers won their regular-season game at Edina. The Hornets last appeared in the title game in 2021 — a run of five consecutive memorable Saturday nights in February through the years.
Edina sophomore Lorelai Nelson jammed a loose puck behind Skippers goalie Layla Hemp for a 1-0 lead at 4:44 of the second period.
The Hornets struck again in the second as Hannah Halverson feathered a pass across the high slot to Cate McCoy for a 2-0 lead at 8:19.
Minnetonka answered just 26 seconds later as Bella Finnegan slid a puck through the skates of a defender, then collected the puck and unleashed a shot to Edina junior goalie Reese McConnell’s high stick side.
Minnetonka knotted the game 2-2 just 1:02 into the third period. Senior Kendra Distad’s 20th goal of the season proved timely.
So did Edina’s answer from Brenna Prellwitz. She deflected a puck from Whitney Horton past Hemp to restore a 3-2 lead 20 seconds later. Officials took about three times as long to confirm via replay that the goal counted.
Game 4′s three stars
Brenna Prellwitz, Edina: The sophomore forward and varsity newcomer knocked the game-winning goal off her breezers.
Hannah Halverson, Edina: She assisted on two of her team’s three goals, including a sweet pass to Cate McCoy.
Bella Finnegan, Minnetonka: The junior defender gave her team life with a second-period goal that trimmed the deficit to 2-1
Game 4′s key numbers
10: Minnetonka players committed to NCAA Division I programs.
2: Consecutive years Minnetonka was seeded No. 1 and consecutive years Minnetonka lost in the semifinals.
Game 3 / 8:10 p.m.
Hill-Murray turns away Andover
Hill-Murray’s speed got the better of Andover’s toughness in Friday’s Class 2A state tournament semifinal.
The Pioneers secured a 3-1 victory and advanced to their first state championship game since winning back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015.
No. 2 seed Hill-Murray (26-3-1) split two regular-season games against No. 3 seed Andover (22-5-3). The Pioneers won the game that counted most Friday.
Hill-Murray junior Ella Hornung made it 1-0 at 4:23 of the opening period on an assist from Chloe Boreen.
Jaycee Chatleain scored on the power play to bump Hill-Murray lead to 2-0. Her 27th goal this season was also her third of the tournament.
Andover junior defender Mackenzie Jones beat Hill-Murray senior goaltender and fellow Star Tribune All-Metro first-team selection Grace Zhan clean for a power-play goal.
Hill-Murray roared back for an answering goal by Elliana Engelhardt, and just 25 seconds later the Pioneers restored a two-goal lead.
The second period got more physical between the teams. Andover outshot the Pioneers 21-2 but could not solve Zhan.
Andover lost in the title game last season after winning in 2022.
Hill-Murray hasn’t reached the finals since winning back-to-back in 2014 and 2015.
Game 3′s three stars
Grace Zhan, Hill-Murray: Her team was outshot 37-16 for the game, but the Pioneers senior goalie rose to the challenge, stopping all but one shot.
Ella Hornung, Hill-Murray: She scored her team’s first goal and led the Pioneers with seven blocked shots.
Mackenzie Jones, Andover: The junior defender scored her team’s only goal and thumped her share of Hill-Murray skaters.
Game 3′s key numbers
2: Hill-Murray freshman forward Jaycee Chatleain is playing in her second state tournament. She contributed to Centennial’s run as an eighth-grader before transferring.
25: Seconds it took Hill-Murray to respond after Andover scored and cut its deficit to 2-1. Elliana Engelhardt restored a two-goal lead (3-1).
21-2: Shots-on-goal disparity in the second period went Andover’s way.
Game 2 / 3:47 p.m.
Warroad drops top seed Holy Angels
It’s an upset on paper, but Warroad is back in familiar territory.
The No. 4-seeded Warriors upset top seed Holy Angels 3-2 in the second Class 1A semifinal on Friday afternoon at Xcel Energy Center. Warroad scored late in each of the first two periods to build leads.
In 15 trips to the state tournament, Warroad (21-8-0) has advanced to the state title game 10 times. It’s looking for its fifth state championship and a three-peat.
Warroad heavily outshot the Stars, 20-7, in the first period. The Warriors also grabbed a 1-0 lead with 16.1 seconds remaining in the period. Kaiya Sandy scored on a rebound in front with Holy Angels goaltender Zoe Rimstad, who was down in the crease, having just missed grabbing the puck to freeze it.
The Stars tied the game in the second period when senior Bella LaMere picked up a loose puck in the corner and fired a shot from the circle. But Warroad struck again late, with 1:16 left in the second, when freshman Jaylie French wasted no time in front burying a pass from freshman Karlee Kalbrener behind the net.
Holy Angels similarly tied the game with 10:18 left in the third period, with junior Masyn Mullin waiting for the puck in front as Harper Poehling fed her from behind the goal line. Warroad didn’t let the tie game stand for more than 29 seconds, as sophomore Taylor Reese scored to regain the lead.
Holy Angels (22-4-3) won the Class 1A title in 2005 and appeared in the Class 2A tournament in 2006 before returning to the X this year.
Game 2′s three stars
Taylor Reese, Warroad: The sophomore scored her second game-winning goal in as many games at the state tournament, bringing her season total to 19 goals.
Jaylie French, Warroad: A freshman, she gave her team a 2-1 lead with her team-leading 21st goal of the season. She recorded a game-high 13 shots.
Maysn Mullin, Holy Angels: Tied the game, briefly, for the Stars with a third-period goal. Also recorded seven shots on goal.
Game 2′s key numbers
7: Warroad players with one point each in the game.
15: One-goal games for Warroad this season. The Warriors are 9-6 in those games, including three consecutive victories starting with its section final game.
35: Saves for Holy Angels goaltender junior Zoe Rimstad, her sixth game this season with at least 30 saves.
424: Miles between Dodge County Ice Arena in Kasson, Minn., and Gardens Arena in Warroad.
Game 1 / 1:17 p.m.
Dodge County sinks No. 2 seed Orono
Dodge County scored a pair of second-period goals 22 seconds apart to grab a two-goal lead, and the No. 3-seeded Wildcats used that momentum to take a 4-2 victory over No. 2 seed Orono in Friday’s first Class 1A semifinal at Xcel Energy Center.
In the middle of the second period, sophomore defenseman Kylie Meyer scored her third goal of the season when a juicy rebound went right to her in the opposite circle. Her shot slipped through goaltender Vivienne Anderson for a 2-1 lead. Then freshman Maysie Koch blocked a puck at the Dodge County blue line and broke free for a breakaway goal 22 seconds later to make it 3-1.
Orono (21-7-1) couldn’t cash in on a pair of power plays early in the third period, generating just two shots on goal in the first advantage to start the period. But junior Macy Rasmussen scored on a backhand shot with 10:30 left in regulation to make it a one-goal game again. Not long after that, Gabrielle Lopez hit the post with a fluttering puck.
The Wildcats added an empty-netter with 22.4 ticks left in regulation. Dodge County junior goaltender Ida Huber weathered the storm throughout the game, making 35 saves.
The win sends Dodge County (23-4-0) to the state championship game in its first state tournament.
Orono got on the board first in the first period when sophomore Maddy Kimbrel used her speed to get by the defense into the Dodge County zone and fire the puck on net. After the initial save, Kimbrel took a couple of swipes on her own rebound near the crease until the puck went into the net for the lead.
But the start of the second period couldn’t have gone any better for Dodge County. After getting an early power play, leading scorer Nora Carstensen tied the game one minute into the middle period. She elevated her shot from the circle on a power play for her 34th goal of the season.
Game 1′s three stars
Ida Huber, Dodge County: Made a season-high 35 saves, including 12 in the third period, and faced a few point-blank opportunities.
Maysie Koch, Dodge County: Scored a pair of goals, including the empty-netter that sealed with victory with 22.4 seconds left in regulation. Her eighth multigoal game of the season.
Maddy Kimbrel, Orono: Used her speed to cash in on her own rebound, giving her team a 1-0 lead. Recorded a team-high seven shots on goal.
Game 1′s key numbers
5: Games in a row with a goal for Orono’s top goal scorer, Maddy Kimbrel. She scored Orono’s first goal on Friday for her seventh goal in the past five games.
6: Dodge County players with at least a point in Friday’s semifinal. The Wildcats got goals from three different players.
22: Seconds between goals for Kylie Meyer and Maysie Koch to help Dodge County take a 3-1 lead in the second period. That’s agreed-upon by observers. The official scoresheet shows an even smaller gap, 20 seconds.
Today’s schedule:
Dodge County 4, Orono 2
Warroad 3, Holy Angels 2
Hill-Murray 3, Andover 1
Edina 3, Minnetonka 2
Tournament information
* Watch today’s games on Ch. 45. Here’s how to watch on the web, your mobile device and with other streaming options.
* Live statistics for the game in progress.
Vikings QB Sam Darnold leads the NFL in completions of 20-plus yards, and his chemistry with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, paired with coach Kevin O'Connell's aggressive play-calling, is a treat for fans.
