Minneapolis – Amanda Kessel played her final collegiate game at Ridder Arena Saturday, then offered a few postgame observations that left most of her teammates with moist eyes.

“Kess had a few people in tears,” fellow senior Hannah Brandt commented. “Maybe more than a few.”

Kessel, a 24-year-old senior who had missed 18 months because of concussion symptoms before surprisingly returning to the University of Minnesota women’s hockey team six weeks ago, capped her days at Ridder in high style with a hat trick.

Her play lifted the Gophers to a 6-2 NCAA quarterfinal victory over Princeton in front of 2,468 Ridder Arena customers, ushering the Gophers into the Frozen Four for the fifth consecutive season.

Amanda Kessel (MHM Photo / Carson Mark)

Then she stood in front of her teammates and told them what a joy it has been to play for the Gophers for 3 ½ seasons, how fortunate she considered herself to be back in uniform and how much it means to the program to gun for a second consecutive NCAA title and fourth in five seasons.

Not only did she tally the winning goal late in the first period, but her hat trick was her first as a Gopher since Jan. 18, 2013.

“Pretty awesome,” she said.

Gophers coach Brad Frost, who raised his record at Minnesota to 291-45-22, said it has been a thrill to have Kessel back on a team that was already considered one of the best in the nation.

“She has just been a great leader for us the last six weeks,” Frost said. “Here’s a kid who thought her hockey career was over and now she’s got a second shot at it, so you can see the passion that she’s played with. … It is emotional to see her out there and see her competing once again.”

The Patty Kazmaier Award winner as college women’s hockey player of the year three seasons ago before her one-year term with the U.S. Olympic team, Kessel finished with three goals, one assist and seven of the Gophers’ shots as the home team outshot Princeton 43-27.

Strangely, however, Minnesota will advance to the Frozen Four as an underdog, seeded No. 3 in the nation. The Gophers needed Saturday’s win to earn a replay of Border Battle hostilities with Wisconsin, which stunned the Gophers 1-0 in the WCHA playoff finale a week earlier.

The two will collide Friday at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H.

“In my opinion,” Brandt said, “there’s nothing better than a Minnesota-Wisconsin game.”

There was little doubt throughout the afternoon that the Gophers, who have a 33-4-1 record, would take care of Princeton (22-9-2). Even after the Tigers scored just 29 seconds into the first period, this game was tilted toward Minnesota.

Hannah Brandt (MHM Photo / Carson Mark)

Brandt’s 25th goal at the 4:07 mark of the period tied the score, and Kessel drilled a short-handed breakaway to put her team in front 1:14 later, then tallied on a power play at the 17:35 mark for what proved to be the winning goal.

Teammate Nina Rogers sidled up to Kessel after the first period and said she might bring a hat to the bench for the second, just in case. Kessel laughed that off, but plenty of fans in the crowd obliged by tossing hats on the ice when Kessel’s third goal made it 6-1 late in the second period.

Frost downplayed whether or not his team will be an underdog in the semifinals at New Hampshire.

“The expectations are so high within our program,” he explained that fans say, “If you don’t get to the Frozen Four, what happened? What’s wrong? As a coach, you just hope and pray that you get your team as prepared as possible and they play well, like they did tonight.

“Now it’s candy as you go to the Frozen Four. You give yourself a shot, and that’s all you can ask for.”

This will be the fourth Frozen Four in four seasons for Brandt, who broke out of a slight slump with a goal and two assists. Along with a goal and an assist from Sarah Potomak and Kessel’s four points, Minnesota’s top line produced nine points.

Those three were “all over the score sheet,” Frost said, and it enabled Minnesota to be all over Princeton.

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Hat trick extends Johnson’s record-setting season for Prowlers

ST. PAUL — Thief River Falls forward Ethan Johnson has been giving goaltenders nightmares all season.

Apparently, not just opposing goalies either.

Johnson netted his 47th, 48th and 49th goals of the season in leading the Prowlers to a 6-1 win over Princeton in the second Class A quarterfinal game of the day in the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center.

“In practice, it’s almost kind of scary when you see him coming down to take a shot,” Prowlers goaltender Kade Nelson said. “His speed, his hands and his shot … He’s a heck of a player. He’s going to continue to impress people at this tournament and hopefully us as a team can continue to do that.”

In that regard, job one is done.

The Prowlers overcame a slow start against the upstart Tigers, the champions of Section 5. Nelson made a couple of big saves early to keep the game scoreless before Johnson stole the show with a pair of dazzling goals less than four minutes midway through the first. He finished off the hat trick by capping a 2-on-1 rush chance with a goal at 9:27 of the third period.

“It was key,” Prowlers coach Tim Bergland said. “They got a couple of chances, some pretty decent ones early. If they go in, [it’s] going to give them life. Fortunately, Kade has been solid for us all year. Today was no different.”

“It helps a lot to start playing good early,” Johnson said. “It gives us a little cushion. Then other lines start scoring and it really helps us out.”

Johnson got his season going in a similar fashion. He scored three goals in a season-opening 6-3 win over Roseau and his torrid goal-scoring pace hasn’t tapered.

Ethan Johnson completes his hat trick in Wednesday’s 6-1 win over Princeton. (Photo by Tim Kolehmainen / Breakdown Sports U.S.A.)

The senior has rewritten the record book at Thief River this season, breaking Jack Erickson’s 65-year old school goal-scoring record during the Section 8 playoffs. Erickson’s previous record of 42 goals was established during the 1950-51 season.

Whomever is maintaining that book better be using pencil because Johnson doesn’t look like he slowing down any time soon.

Johnson has scored at least one goal in 11 consecutive games and has 23 goals during that span. His hat trick on Wednesday was his eighth of the season.

“It keeps you on your toes,” Bergland said. “We’ve seen this since grade 9. He’s such a good skater, strong on his skates. It’s fun to see.”

Perhaps more encouraging for the Prowlers is Johnson’s propensity to show up in big games.

He scored six goals in the Section 8 tournament, including two goals in the championship game against two-time defending Class A state champion, East Grand Forks.

In three games against the Green Wave this season, Johnson scored nine goals. His two goals in the section championship was the first time he didn’t have at least three goals against their Mariucci Conference rivals.

Now, with one hat trick in the tournament already under his belt, Johnson will try and push the Prowlers one step closer to their first state title since 1956.

“I just try to play my game and help the team out as much as I can,” Johnson said.

Added Bergland: “He’s a special player. You wish you had more of them.”

Princeton coach Jeff Hanson said the plan going into the game was to try and score early and ride the momentum. Slowing down Johnson was also a high priority.

The Tigers nearly accomplished the first part of that in the opening minutes. Despite trailing by a pair of goals, Princeton actually outshot Thief River Falls by a 9-7 margin after 17 minutes.

The difference? Johnson was able to finish his chances while the Tigers couldn’t close the deal.

“I think it definitely changes the game. It’s just going to tilt the ice for us a little bit, give us even more energy and maybe put them back on their heels,” Hanson said. “In a situation like that, I think that’s what you have to try and do; just get a fast start, hopefully you get a little puck luck and maybe a call here and there, try to get up on them early and ride that momentum.

“We just couldn’t get one to bounce there for us early.”

The Tigers, playing in their third state tournament and first since going in back-to-back years in 2002 and 2003, will move to the consolation bracket to play Mankato West at Mariucci Arena at 10 a.m. on Thursday.

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