For 31 seconds, Warroad’s hopes of returning to a third straight Class A state title game hung in the balance.

After top-seeded Holy Angels tied their semifinal at two in the third period, the Warriors came back down the ice and Taylor Reese scored her second goal of the tournament with 9:47 left in regulation, putting the No. 4-seeded Warriors ahead for good in a 3-2 win Friday at Xcel Energy Center.

David Marvin’s Warriors, the two-time defending Class A champions, will have the chance to complete a three-peat on Saturday against Dodge County in the state title game.

The title-game appearance wasn’t what some — Marvin included — expected coming into the season after the Warriors lost all five of last season’s top scorers to graduation.

“Nobody had this on their bingo card at the beginning of the year. I know I didn’t,” Marvin said, before emphasizing the close games and one-goal losses to strong opponents that made him start to believe.

“We do it the hard way,” he added.

Reese, who is in her first year with Warroad and also scored the overtime game-winner in a quarterfinal win over Proctor/Hermantown, corralled a Vivienne Marcowka pass from below the goal line and fired a shot into the far side of the net from in tight for the winning goal.

“I come here, being new, and have to play a big role,” Reese said. “I feel like our team has done a great job.”

Warroad never trailed, and the teams traded goals all the way through the contest. Unlike the teams’ regular-season meeting, the Stars weren’t able to get the win.

“It was tough, but I thought everyone tried to do their jobs. They did,” Holy Angels forward Aislin Lacher said. “They executed well.”
Holy Angels had some offensive zone time to start the game, but the Warriors got better as the first period went on, finally claiming the lead with 16.1 seconds left on a goal from Kaiya Sandy.

In the midst of a scramble in front of Holy Angels goalie Zoe Rimstad, Sandy’s shot flipped through the air and into the net.

Holy Angels tied it 7:11 into the second period on a goal from Bella LaMere. With the Stars’ classmates literally going bananas with their cheering in the stands, the senior fired a shot that hit a Warroad defender and ricocheted past goalie Payton Rolli.

Rolli made 26 saves and earned the win for the Warriors.

“The group’s been resilient all year,” Marvin said. “It’s different watching this team than prior
teams, but it’s really gratifying. They don’t quit.”

Warroad will play tournament newcomer No. 3 seed Dodge County, which beat second-seeded Orono in the other semifinal earlier Friday, in the Class A state championship game Saturday at 4 p.m.

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