Class 1A girls' hockey quarterfinals: East Grand Forks 8, Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato 1

Whether shooting from the forehand or backhand, Haley Mack held the upper hand.

Mack, a sophomore forward, scored four goals as No. 1 seed East Grand Forks dispatched fellow girls' hockey state tournament newcomer Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato 8-1 in Wednesday's Class 1A quarterfinal.

Four goals and one assist added to Mack's school-record total for points in a season, which now stands at 79.

"Anytime she gets around the net, she has that ability to finish," Green Wave coach Jim Scanlan said. "Natural goal-scorers just seem to be able to do those things."

Mack scored twice as East Grand Forks (25-2-1) led 2-0 at the first intermission at Xcel Energy Center, helping the team overcome nerves and tentative play.

"We knew it would be a big challenge, so we were hoping we'd get the first goal and continue on," Mack said.

Continue the Green Wave did. Tiffany Hanson scored only 1:18 into the second period for a 3-0 lead.

Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato (10-18) struck back as Kennedy Sommerfeld tapped a rebound home and cut the lead to 3-1.

But East Grand Forks countered with goals from Alexa Mack and Riley Koberinski only 41 seconds apart. Haley Mack pushed the lead to 6-1 as she completed the hat trick in the second period.

"She's stepped up," Scanlan said. "It's a bigger stage and I think she kind of relishes those challenges."

David La Vaque