When the section tournaments started, Lakeville North called the playoffs a “second season.”

“It was like a rebirth, a new start,” junior attackman Carson Piscitiello said, “and it gave us new life.”

The playoffs were a chance to make amends for what the Panthers felt were regular season mistakes that led to four losses amid a hyper-difficult schedule. Junior midfielder Lane Johnson got healthy and returned to the lineup for sections, and off the Panthers went.

They haven’t looked back since.

The third-seeded Panthers downed second-seeded Stillwater 17-5 in the state semifinals on Thursday at Chaska High School. The defending champs are back in Saturday’s state final, where they’ll duel top-seeded Benilde-St. Margaret’s (17-1) at 6 p.m. at Eden Prairie High School after the Red Knights beat Prior Lake in the other semifinal.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s beat the Panthers 9-8 in early May.

Four of Lakeville North’s five postseason wins have come by double digits. It led 10-1 at the half Thursday and never let up.

Carson Piscitiello had five goals Thursday — including three in the first quarter — while his brother Blake had three as the Panthers did a ton of damage early from behind the net.

“We knew our matchups, and having Lane Johnson back healthy helped just round out our offense,” Carson said. “And we can be that dangerous when we’re playing well, and we just had to play that way.”

Defensively, the Panthers (14-4) held Stillwater stars Grant Giese and Anderson Wagner scoreless. It was total domination from Lakeville North from start to finish.

“A lot of forced turnovers. I think we came in with some nerves. A lot on the line, going to the state championship,” said Ponies junior midfielder Isaac Johnston, who scored two goals. “We could win that game if we play our best game. I think it just comes down to turnovers.”

It was a learning lesson for the Ponies (15-3), and motivation for the future. Many of Stillwater’s top players will be back next season. A year ago, when Stillwater fell to Mahtomedi in the section final, Johnston said players took a photo of the scoreboard.

“Used it as motivation, came back and won the section championship,” Johnston said. “Now, this year, I think we’re going to come in with the same (ticked) off energy next year when it comes to state, and it’s definitely going to be a different outcome next year.”

The Panthers, meanwhile hope for the same outcome Saturday that they got a year ago.

“When you’ve been there, you have a little more maturity about it. We knew that Stillwater, they needed to take that next step. And, for us, it’s just like, ‘We can do it,’” Carson Piscitiello said. “Having a four-loss regular season, things looked dark for a second. But it’s awesome to be back. One more, one more.”