Possession time and shots on goal overwhelmingly were in her team's favor after the first period, small consolation for Thief River Falls coach Whitney Restemayer.
Zero goals and a scoreless tie with New Ulm got her attention.
"We didn't start as well as we would have liked," she said.
Three goals in a little more than five minutes of second-period play improved the Prowlers' mood. They pulled away for a 5-1 victory.
Thief River Falls (24-1-3), carrying the No. 1 seed into its first-ever Class 1A tournament appearance, used its offensive talents to reach Friday's semifinal. The Prowlers' 58 shots on goal set a state tournament record for a non-overtime game.
Holding Thief River Falls scoreless despite a 16-3 shots on goal disparity in the first period "was a confidence builder for us," New Ulm (19-9) coach Kristin Faber said.
Early in the second period, however, Prowlers sophomore forward Kora Torkelson switched the good vibes to her team. She scored twice in a span of 1 minute, 35 seconds for a 2-0 lead.
Then teammate Emily Bergland, who assisted on both of Torkelson's goals, added a goal of her own and the Prowlers took a 3-0 lead into second intermission.
"We weren't pleased, but there was some relief," Bergland said. "There was a different energy in the locker room. We knew if we kept pounding, we would get to them."
David La Vaque
