ST. PAUL — The top four seeds advanced Thursday in the Minnesota high school Class AA girls hockey tournament.
Minnetonka wins on late goal
Centennial/Spring Lake Park put up a valiant effort and had things tied up late in the third period of the Class AA girls quarterfinal on Thursday but Minnetonka's Lindzi Avar netted the game-winning goal in the 3-2 victory with just 42 seconds left in regulation.
Senior and Ms. Hockey finalist Lauren O'Hara talked about how the Cougars made it to the state tournament back in 2021 but had to forfeit their quarterfinal game to a positive COVID-19 test result and how that motivated a lot of the upperclassman for the quarterfinal game in 2023.
Cougar netminder Kaitlin Groess made a whopping 40 saves throughout the 51 minutes while Minnetonka's Layla Hemp made 12.
1/30: After her game winning goal, Minnetonka forward Lindzi Avar (13) gets a hug from teammate forward Kendra Distad (14) in the third period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
2/30: Centennial/Spring Lake Park forward Grace Laager (15) puts the puck past Minnetonka goaltender Layla Hemp (1) to score late in the third period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
3/30: Minnetonka players celebrate the game winning goal by forward Lindzi Avar (13) in the third period against Centennial/Spring Lake Park Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
4/30: Centennial/Spring Lake Park forward Lauren O'Hara (23) takes a shot at the goal against Centennial/Spring Lake Park in the third period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
5/30: Centennial/Spring Lake Park forward Lauren O'Hara (23) skates with the puck against Minnetonka in the third period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
6/30: Minnetonka forward Kendra Distad (14) makes a pass against Centennial/Spring Lake Park in the third period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
7/30: Centennial/Spring Lake Park goaltender Kaitlin Groess (1) deflects a shot by Minnetonka forward Lauren Mack (19) in the third period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
8/30: Minnetonka forward Grace Sadura (7) makes a pass against Centennial/Spring Lake Park in the third period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
9/30: Centennial/Spring Lake Park forward Lauren O'Hara (23) takes the puck between Minnetonka forward Lauren Mack (19) and Minnetonka forward Lindzi Avar (13) in the third period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
10/30: Centennial/Spring Lake Park defender Hannah Thompson (20) skates withe the puck against Minnetonka in the third period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
11/30: Minnetonka forward Lauren Mack (19) takes the puck past Centennial/Spring Lake Park forward Teagan Kulenkamp (19) in the third period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
12/30: Minnetonka forward Molly Ryan (8) makes a pass in front of Centennial/Spring Lake Park defender Alexis Larsen (21) in the third period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
13/30: Minnetonka forward Senja Leeper (21) and Centennial/Spring Lake Park forward Noelle Hemr (22) battle for the puck behind the net in the third period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
14/30: Centennial/Spring Lake Park forward Lauren O'Hara (23) makes a pass against Minnetonka in the second period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
15/30: Minnetonka goaltender Layla Hemp (1) deflects a shot by Centennial/Spring Lake Park forward Noelle Hemr (22) in the first period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
16/30: Minnetonka forward Ava Lindsay (9) bounces the puck off Centennial/Spring Lake Park goaltender Kaitlin Groess (1) in the first period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
17/30: Centennial/Spring Lake Park forward Lauren O'Hara (23) makes a pass against Minnetonka in the first period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
18/30: Centennial/Spring Lake Park goaltender Kaitlin Groess (1) deflects a shot by Minnetonka forward Lindzi Avar (13) in the first period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
19/30: Minnetonka defender Elly Klepinger (22) makes a pass against Centennial/Spring Lake Park in the first period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
20/30: Minnetonka goaltender Layla Hemp (1) stops a puck against Centennial/Spring Lake Park in the first period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
21/30: Minnetonka forward Grace Sadura (7) carries the puck against Minnetonka in the first period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
22/30: Centennial/Spring Lake Park forward Lauren O'Hara (23) gets the puck on a face off against Minnetonka forward Lindzi Avar (13) in the first period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
23/30: Minnetonka forward Ava Lindsay (9) puts the puck under the blade of Centennial/Spring Lake Park goaltender Kaitlin Groess (1) to score less than a minute into the first period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
24/30: Minnetonka forward Kendra Distad (14) makes a pass under the stick of Minnetonka forward Ava Lindsay (9) in the first period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
25/30: Centennial/Spring Lake Park goaltender Kaitlin Groess (1) strops a puck against Minnetonka in the first period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
26/30: Centennial/Spring Lake Park defender Hannah Thompson (20) and Minnetonka forward Ava Lindsay (9) battle for the pucin the first period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
27/30: Minnetonka forward Ava Lindsay (9) makes a pass in front of Centennial/Spring Lake Park defender Annabelle Buccicone (2) in the first period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
28/30: Centennial/Spring Lake Park forward Lauren O'Hara (23) gets ready for the start of the game against Minnetonka Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
29/30: After her game-winning goal, Minnetonka forward Lindzi Avar (13) gets a hug from teammate forward Kendra Distad (14) in the third period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
30/30: Centennial/Spring Lake Park goaltender Kaitlin Groess (1) deflects a shot by Minnetonka forward Lindzi Avar (13) in the first period Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Isa Goettl's hat trick propels defending champs
University of Minnesota commit and Ms. Hockey semifinalist Isa Goettl's three-goal performance propelled No. 2 Andover to a huge 9-0 victory over Rosemount on Thursday in the Minnesota Class AA girls quarterfinals at the Xcel Energy Center.
Goettl not only posted three goals (one being shorthanded), she also tacked on two assists and two penalties throughout the 51-minute game.
Senior Goalie of the Year finalist Courtney Stagman (St. Anselm) of Andover earned a 10-save shutout.
Edina's special teams roll in win
Two players down early on in Thursday afternoon's Minnesota Class AA girls quarterfinal matchup against unseeded Lakeville North, Edina's penalty kill did what it's done all season.
In the span of 2 minutes and 24 seconds, the third-seeded Hornets killed the 5-on-3, scored shorthanded on the leftover Panthers power play and added another goal once they got back to even strength on their way to a 6-0 win at Xcel Energy Center.
Edina's penalty kill — which had allowed only six goals all season coming into the state tournament — is running at over 94% on the year after killing off all four penalties in the game. Two power-play goals on their two opportunities kept the Hornets perfect on special teams.
Gentry Academy spoils Spuds' return to state tournament
Moorhead waited 17 years for its return trip to the girls state hockey tournament, but the Spuds' wait for their first state quarterfinal win continues after a 7-0 loss to Gentry Academy in the first round of the Class AA tournament Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center.
Gentry Academy senior Cara Sajevic, a St. Thomas commit left off the Ms. Hockey shortlist despite coming into the state tournament with 70 points, netted a first-period natural hat trick with two shorthanded goals to forge a commanding lead the fourth-seeded Stars, loaded with eight Division I commits, didn't relinquish.
Moorhead — which previously appeared at the state tournament in 2006, 2002 and 2001 — has not won a winners' bracket game at the girls state tournament.
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Sydney Wolf is a reporter for The Rink Live, primarily covering youth and high school hockey. She joined the team in November of 2021 and graduated from St. Cloud State University with a degree in Mass Communications and a minor in Writing and Rhetoric Studies.
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