Games on Wednesday:
No. 2 Orono 4, Willmar 1
#3 Dodge County 4, #5 Fergus Falls 0
No. 1 Holy Angels (21-3-3) vs. Luverne (17-10), 6 p.m
No. 4 Warroad (19-8) vs. No. 5 Proctor/Hermantown (18-8-2), 8 p.m
Note: Only the top five teams were seeded.
3:20 p.m
Dodge County sinks Fergus Falls
In its state tournament debut, No. 3 seed Dodge County used two second-period goals to grab the lead and ultimately defeated Fergus Falls 4-0 in the second Class 1A quarterfinal game Wednesday afternoon at Xcel Energy Center.
Senior forward McKenna LaFleur broke a scoreless tie nearly six minutes into the second period by capitalizing on a Fergus Falls turnover behind her own net. The Otters cleared the puck forward and landed it on the stick of LaFleur, who quickly scored her 14th goal of the season.
In the second period, the Wildcats (22-4-0) scored on a 2-on-1 opportunity on neutral ice. Junior Nora Carstensen passed the puck to freshman Maysie Koch, who finished the play with a wrist shot that doubled the lead.
Carstensen, Dodge County's leading scorer, extended the lead to three goals early in the third period. She brought the puck into the zone from center ice and fired a shot that hit a Fergus Falls defender on the way to the net. She later scored her 33rd goal of the season on a power play to give the Wildcats a 4-0 lead.
Senior goalkeeper Ana Jyrkas made 26 saves for Fergus Falls (15-12-1).
Three stars for game 2
Nora Carstensen, Dodge County junior forward: Scored her 32nd and 33rd goals in the third period and assisted on the team's second goal of the game.
Dodge County senior forward McKenna LaFleur: Opened the scoring with a goal at the right place and time in the second period – the first goal in Dodge County girls hockey state tournament history.
Maysie Koch, freshman forward from Dodge County: A two-point game ended with a 2-on-1 chance that gave the Wildcats a 2-0 lead in the second period.
Match 2 numbers
2: Schools that make up the Dodge County girls ice hockey team: Kasson-Mantorville and Byron.
9: Saves for Dodge County junior goaltender Ida Huber, leading to 10th shutout win of the season.
12: Games of at least three points for Dodge County junior forward Nora Carstensen, who had a three-point game on Wednesday.
12:50 p.m
Orono defeated Willmar in the opening game
Orono, the No. 2 seed in Class 1A and last year's runner-up, built a two-goal lead in the first period and secured a 4-1 win over unseeded Willmar in the first game of the day. The Spartans (21-6-1) took a 1-0 lead midway through the first period when sophomore Maddy Kimbrel recovered the puck from the red line and shot high glove side for her 26th goal of the season achieved. In the final 30 seconds of the period, junior Zoe Lopez forced a turnover at the top of Willmar's zone, skated to the circle and scored her 24th goal of the season to double her team's lead. Orono added an empty-net goal in the final minute of the game. Willmar fell (20-8-0).
Three stars for game 1
Orono junior forward Anika Fortin: Scored a goal and an assist to give her team a 3-0 lead.
Zoe Lopez, Orono junior forward: Orono gave Orono a 2-0 lead just before the first break and had a game-high six shots on goal.
Erin Eilers, Willmar junior goalkeeper: She made 35 saves, her fifth game this season with more than 30 saves.
Game 1 Numbers
0: Power play goals for Willmar on three occasions and zero power play chances for Orono.
4: Consecutive one-goal games for Orono's leading scorer Zoe Lopez.
16: Goals this season for Willmar's Lauren Eilers, who leads her team.
Here you will find links to tournament information:
*Watch today's games for free on NSPN.TV. You can find the schedule and livestream links here. Semi-finals and finals will take place on Ch. 45.
* Live statistics for the ongoing game.
* Tournament classes: Class 2A | Class 1A. Buy tickets here.
* Download and print the tournament program
* Star Tribune high school sports page.