Taking advantage of its opponents’ turnovers, Hill-Murray scored three times in about a four-minute span around the first intermission to become a section champion yet again.

A balanced offensive attack is nice too.

Emily Pohl, Kasey Senden and Sophie Olson each had a goal and an assist and the Pioneers beat Woodbury 4-1 in the Class 2A, Section 4 girls’ hockey final on Thursday at Aldrich Arena. Elliana Engelhardt also scored for the Pioneers. Piper Tam made 29 saves.

Winners of nine straight games, the Pioneers have allowed just 10 goals during the winning streak; five came in one game.

Seeded second in the section but ranked fifth in the final Let’s Play Hockey state poll, Hill-Murray (22-6-0) returns to the Xcel Energy Center for the second straight year and 10th time since 2011. The Pioneers fell to Edina in last year’s title game.

Class 2A tournament play begins Thursday. Seedings and the schedule are to be announced Saturday.

Alaina Gnetz scored and Alyssa Polaski had 33 saves, many of the tremendous variety, for Woodbury (23-2-2), the top section seed and No. 9 ranked team in Class 2A. The Royals were seeking the school’s first state appearance.

An evenly played first period turned Hill-Murray’s way late.

Engelhardt scored on a rebound off a drive to the net by Pohl, and 54 seconds later a Woodbury turnover below its own end line led to Ella Hornung feeding Olson in front for a short-handed tally.

A highlight-reel stop by Polaski robbed Gwynn Skoogman from making it 3-0 before the period expired. But that became the score less than a minute into the second period, when, off a Woodbury turnover, Senden, a Bemidji State commit, sent Pohl in for a breakaway goal.

The sophomore has a team-best 36 goals for Hill-Murray.

Off a scramble in front, Gnetz scored her 34th goal of the season 40 seconds into the third period to get the Royals within 3-1, a deficit that nearly grew larger a couple minutes later, but Polanski robbed Anna Pohl.

Senden scored through traffic with a player advantage at 6:09 to all but seal the win. It was just the fifth power-play goal allowed by Woodbury this season. The Royals entered with a 95.8% penalty kill.

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