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Six different scorers carry Bears to seventh state title

St. Paul — After spotting St. Paul United an early lead in Saturday’s Minnesota Class 1A Girls’ Hockey State Tournament title game, The Blake School scored six straight times and rolled to a 6-2 win to capture the Bears’ second straight and seventh overall state championship.

Blake’s Lily Delianedis led a balanced attack with a goal and two assists while Addie Burton, Audrey Wethington, Izzy Daniel and Hayley Konowalchuk added a goal and an assist each. Joie Phelps and Samantha Burke scored goals for United.

Early in the game fans at the Xcel Energy Center looked like they were going to be treated to a back and forth affair that would not be decided until late in the game. Both teams did a good job keeping the puck out of the middle of the ice and through five minutes of play the shots were even at two apiece.

Blake (27-2-1) then made one of their few mistakes of the game. United was able to get a turnover at their own blueline and create a three on one. Phelps – who tallied a hat trick in the quarterfinals – took a feed from Laure Boettcher and found the back of the net to give United (21-7-2) a brief 1-0 lead.

Just three minutes later Blake’s Konowalchuck fired a shot from the right faceoff circle into the net to tie the game.

From that point, the first period belonged to the Blake Bears. They would outshoot United 14 to 4 in the period and take the lead off the stick of Delianedis. Delianedis flipped home a shot while collecting a rebound off of United goalie Jillian Oncay who finished the game with 31 saves.

Blake started the second period where they left off in the first, keeping United to the outside and capitalizing on their opportunities. Two goals less than two minutes apart allowed the Bears to take control of the game. Grace Johnson and Wethington both scored right on the doorstep by banging away right in front of the blue paint. Oncay made a number of saves before both goals, but the Bears’ forwards were relentless.

Defensively the Bears controlled the middle of the ice. The few times United could sustain any pressure in the Bears’ zone, it was always along the boards. Any attempt to get the puck in front of the net was met with a Blake stick and a quick clear to the boards.

“We control the blue line and the middle of the ice,” Blake coach Shawn Reid said. “We just support each other on defense. We talked about working as a team with the puck and without the puck. It is just a philosophy of puck pursuit and puck support and making sure we keep the other team to the outside.”

Late in the second period, Blake scored its fifth goal of the game from their fifth different player when Daniel scored from the right faceoff circle.

“We don’t focus on who is on what line,” Reid said. “We just take a next man up mentality.”

While Blake wasn’t as explosive offensively in the third, up four goals, they didn’t need to be. Like much of the game, the Bears controlled the puck and kept United bottled up in their own zone much of the period. They killed off an early power play and goalie Anna Kruesel, while not having to make many saves, was solid on the 15 shots she faced. In the third, she made her two best saves of the night on that early third-period power play and on a breakaway late in the period.

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St. Paul – The championship game included two hat tricks, a five-goal second period and a new tournament record. Blake coach Shawn Reid looked like he couldn’t believe it: An 8-0 win in the state final.

Senior Carly Bullock and junior Lucy Burton tallied the hat tricks.

“I’m flabbergasted,” Reid said. “I certainly didn’t expect this result.”

The Blake Bears (26-2-2) lost in the championship final last year to Thief River Falls. They made no mistake about putting an exclamation point on this season with the Class 1A state title victory over No. 3 seed St. Paul United (23-6-1) Saturday at Xcel Energy Center. Blake also won two regular-season meetings with St. Paul United, by scores of 3-1 and 3-2.

It marks the third title in four years for the Bears, as they also won back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014. They’ve won a state-best six state titles overall.

“As a team, we knew that this year we were just going to totally go all the way,” Burton said. “Especially after what happened last year, all the returners had a really icky feeling in our mouth, I guess.”

Safe to say that icky feeling didn’t stick around Saturday.

The first hat trick of the game came together in a span of 4:24 from Burton, who came into the game without a goal in this tournament. Reid moved her to Bullock’s line early in the game. Bullock assisted on two of Burton’s goals.

“After Lucy’s second shift, it was very clear that she had something tonight,” Reid said.

Freshman Madeline Wethington and senior Sylvie Wallin scored the other two goals for Blake. Eighth-grader Addie Burton, Bullock and Wallin all added three assists.

For Bullock, she saved the best for last.

Her first two goals of the game gave Blake a 2-0 cushion in the first period.

“She buries them. That’s what she does,” said St. Paul United coach Nate Mauer. “She opened it up. She’s a naturally-gifted goal scorer.”

That second goal, her 21st in her state tournament career, tied the all-time tournament record for goals scored with Krissy Wendell. With 24 seconds left in the game, Bullock put her name solely at the top of the list with 22 goals. She had 10 in this tournament.

Bullock said she wasn’t aware of the record before the game. She was just looking at the net on that 2-on-1 near the end.

“Twenty-two goals. That’s ridiculous,” Reid said. “It’s been so much fun coaching her.

“It’s amazing. For the four years I’ve been with her, she has cored numerous overtime goals. Numerous times she has called her goal.”

That final goal also capped a Bullock hat trick for the second game in a row. The Ms. Hockey finalist finished the season with 58 goals. Yes, that led the Bears this season.

“For our team to play as well as we did, it’s amazing,” Bullock said, who was still hoarse after taking a slash to the throat in the semifinal game Friday afternoon. “To walk away with a state championship senior year is just the best.”

Other notes:

Bullock, Grace Vojta, Lucy Burton, Wethington and Sylvie Wallin were named to the Class 1A All-Tournament team. Joie Phelps, of St. Paul United, was also named.

Proctor/Hermantown’s Sophie McGovern was given the Herb Brooks Award. She was also named to the All-Tournament team.

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St. Paul — In the 2014 state semifinals, St. Paul United players couldn’t refrain from retaliating late when the game became chippy, and it cost them the game. 

United learned from it, and are headed to the 2016 state championship because of their ability to keep their heads. 

St. Paul scored three power play goals to outlast Warroad 4-3 in the Class A girls’ state hockey semifinals on Friday at Xcel Energy Center. United (23-5-1) will play in its first state championship game on Saturday at 4 p.m.

The Warriors (24-4-1) couldn’t stay out of the penalty box, committing nine penalties against St. Paul, and United capitalized. 

“You can’t have your best players in the box, and your best players killing penalties against a team like that,” Warroad coach David Marvin said. 

When the Warriors’ best players weren’t in the box, the production was there, however. 

Although Warroad didn’t have as many shots in the early stages of the game, the Warriors made the most of their opportunities. After United forward Catherine Kerin went to the penalty box for tripping, Warroad defenseman Kaitlyn Kotlowski scored on the Warriors’ first shot of the game. 

The Warriors weren’t finished just yet. 42 seconds later, Mariah Gardner notched another goal, putting Warroad up 2-0 on two shots not even five minutes into the game. 

“We had a great start compared to any other time of the year, and it gave us that extra push to keep going harder,” Demi Gardner said. 

For Catherine Johnson, a senior goaltender of the year finalist, this was one of her worst starts to a game. 

St. Paul coach Nate Mauer, wasn’t about to lose confidence in her, however, even with Johnson giving up two goals on Warroad’s first two shots. 

‘If she was a junior or sophomore, I probably would have called a timeout after 2-0,” Mauer said. “Instead, I wanted her to get through it herself so she could figure things out. She knew what she needed to do.”

Although stunned, St. Paul settled and responded. With two Warroad players in the box, Sena Hanson scored off the face off three seconds into the 5-on-3 period of play. United nearly doubled the Warriors’ shot total in the first period, but it failed to tie the game in the first period. 

United still trailed by one, but the goal played a big part in cutting off the Warriors’ momentum. 

“It was definitely a game-changer,” Hanson said. “The whole team, I could tell, was picked up by that goal. The whole team’s moral was just lifted.”

Success bred success as Samantha Burke jammed the puck past Warroad goaltender Emma Brunelle just over a minute into the second period, tying the game at two. 

The game didn’t stayed tied for long, though. A wrap-around goal from Demi Gardner gave the Warriors the lead back, halting St. Paul’s second period momentum. 

Demi Gardner gave the Warriors the lead, but she also gave that lead away. 

As the clock ticked down in the final minutes of the second period, Gardner shoved a United skater to the ice after the whistle, sending Gardner to the penalty box for roughing. St. Paul’s Lauren Boettcher scored shortly after on the power play, tying the game with 2:55 left in the second. 

Although the Gardner sisters often found themselves scoring, they also often found themselves in the penalty box, combining for five penalties in the game. 

The last penalty on Mariah Gardner ultimately doomed Warroad. 

St. Paul forward Joie Phelps scored the go-ahead goal with 7:39 left in the game as Mariah Gardner watched from the penalty box. 

“There isn’t a better player (than Joie Phelps) with a 3-3 tie and a puck in front of the net,” Mauer said. “That is her thing. We needed a hockey play, she made it, and we are going to the state championship.”

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With a can do attitude, the Green Wave of East Grand Forks kept applying pressure, finally breaking through a tough United front and goalie Catherine Johnson with a 3-2 victory over St. Paul United.  Jim Scanlan, EGF head coach was impressed with the girls resolve “the girls never stopped believing, had great attitudes all the way through and were rewarded with a hard fought win”.  The battle tested Green Wave are used to close battles having to defeat Warroad in double overtime in the sectional semi finals and then beat the state’s top ranked Thief River Falls Prowlers in double overtime for their first entrance ever into the state tournament.

East Grand Forks was challenged early on and found themselves quickly down 2-0 as St. Paul United led by their Division 1 star Alev Baysoy’s scored two early  goals in the first six minutes of the game.  With the Green Wave starting slow and the quick feet of Baysoy, the St. Paul United club took the lead on Baysoy’ first goal with assists to Joie Phelps and Lauren Boettcher.  Just one minute and two seconds later, United would double their lead, with Baysoy scoring with an assist to Kate Hallett.  Green Wave coach Jim Scanlan noted “every minute is extremely important, it just goes to show how fast things can change”.

Alexa Mack scores twice for the Green Wave (Photo / Debbie Koberinski)

East Grand Forks would cut the lead in half on Junior Alexa Mack’s first goal at the 13:21 mark.  Scanlan was very impressed with Alexa and her effort “Alexa Mack really played well today, playing  her best game of the year, and it was nice to see her rewarded with the two goals”.

In between periods, Scanlan talked with his team regarding the defensive coverage in their own zone, and transitioning the puck up ice as soon as possible and limiting Baysoy.   The two teams came out hard to start the second period, but soon, East Grand Forks would take over in terms of scoring chances and puck control, out shooting United by an 8-2 margin but not having anything to show for it as United goalie Catherine Johnson played well. “The girls really played well defensively and transitioned the puck up ice which made a big difference.  Their number seven (Baysoy) is a special player with her quickness and the girls did a good job shutting her down”.

East Grand Forks took over control in the third period, as United appeared to tire.  With the Green Wave applying much pressure, Thompson battled hard in goal for United, facing 18 shots in the third period.  The Wave continued to push for the tying goal, and on a power play after Kate Hallet was called for checking,would be rewarded.  With the Green Wave moving the puck around  Mak Langei would get the equalizer with a shot from the top of the right circle deflecting past Johnson with an assist to Karly Nelson.

With less than five minutes to play, the game looked like it was going to be heading into overtime, but a slashing penalty on Baysoy gave the Green Wave and their strong power play unit a chance to end it.  Having scored earlier on the power play, the team was determined to pound one in and Alexa Mack would be rewarded knocking in a rebound from 10 feet out with assists to Riley Koberinsi and  Mak Lengei, who picked up her second assist of the game.

With the victory, the Green Wave take on perennial power and defending state champion, The Blake School, at noon on Saturday to determine the Class A champion.  The Blake School defeated Red Wing in double overtime on Friday for their ticket to the championship game.

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SAINT PAUL—Cinderella hasn’t found her slipper yet, but she’s one step closer. St. Paul United, the only team to advance to the state tournament without playing in a section final, moved on to the Class A state semifinals with a 5-2 victory over Proctor/Hermantown.

With SPU clinging to a 3-2 lead late in the final period, defenseman Kate Hallett, a Harvard University commit, fired a shot from the right point which hit traffic in front and eluded Mirage goaltender Kylie Hommerding at 13:53. Joie Phelps’ second of the game, an empty-net goal with 3:24 to play, sealed the win and earned St. Paul United a date with East Grand Forks at 1:00 p.m. on Friday with a trip to the state championship game on the line.

The Green Wave defeated Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato 8-1 earlier in the evening.

St. Paul United, a cooperative team between Visitation, St. Paul Academy and Summit School, made its state tournament debut less than a week after Achiever Academy withdrew from the Section 4A title game following allegations of its roster containing ineligible players.

“It’s great to get on the ice,” St. Paul United coach David Cole said of his team’s eight-day layoff from game action. “To be off a little bit of time was not a bad thing necessarily for us. We’ve been a bit banged up, and we were healthy again tonight. Everybody was back in the lineup and we needed everybody because that was a heck of a hockey game and the Mirage gave us everything we could handle.”

Despite efforts by fellow section members to have the tournament re-seeded and repeated, SPU found itself under the bright lights of Xcel Energy Center facing the Mirage on Wednesday in the last quarterfinal of the day. The experience left the nickname-free team feeling as if it had something to prove, and prove something it did.

“Regardless of how we got here, I knew we were going to get here,” Hallet said. “We’re just going to continue to prove ourselves because we truly, truly deserve to be here and I believe that with my whole heart.”

After Lauren Boettcher got SPU on the board in the first, Lea Groebe scored at 10:34 of the second to put SPU in front 2-0 past the midway point of the game. Just 2:17 later, however, Proctor/Hermantown’s Sophie McGovern briefly closed the gap to one before Phelps restored the two-goal cushion at the 15:20 mark.

Cole said he could sense his team was a bit tentative to begin the game with nerves, understandably, getting the better of his players considering the environment.

“Once we started to skate and pressure them and use our forecheck, I think the tide started to turn,” Cole said. “Then we just stayed on the gas.”

The Mirage made it interesting on Mikayla Kero’s tally just 4:51 of the third to make it 3-2 but it would be the only one of 13 shots Proctor/Hermantown fired at SPU goalie Catherine Johnson in the game’s final 17 minutes. Johnson finished with 24 saves overall.

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