Gentry Academy sinks Hill-Murray again in girls hockey section final

Gentry Academy senior Cara Sajevic came out of the penalty box with a breakaway in the second period and did something that surprised even her coach.

"She shot it cross-corner up on the blocker side, which I didn't expect," said Billy Hengen, in his first season leading the Stars. "She's a righty, I thought she was going to go upper glove."

That breakaway goal for Sajevic put second seed Gentry Academy, ranked No. 4 in Class 2A in the latest coaches' poll, up by two goals on the way to a 4-1 upset victory over top seed Hill-Murray on Thursday in the Class 2A, Section 4 girls hockey final at Aldrich Arena.

"I got a great pass from JuliAnna Gazdik," Sajevic said. "And then I thought that the D was going to catch me, but I moved my feet really fast, and I just shot upper left."

Sajevic scored another goal 15 seconds later after an offensive-zone draw to increase the lead to 3-0. She also had an assist and has 32 goals and 70 points this season as one of the top scorers in Class 2A.

The Gentry Academy roster includes a dozen seniors, and Hill-Murray is young. That made age and size factors in the game, Hengen said.

"We have to be the aggressors because we have to put doubt in their minds early," he said, referring to the team's pregame talk. "They're a super-talented group, but I think we're bigger than them."

The Stars (24-2-0) return to the state tournament for a third consecutive season.

For the Pioneers (23-4-1), ranked No. 2 in Class 2A, it was the second consecutive season of section-final heartbreak against the Stars, who defeated them in last year's title game in double overtime.

Hill-Murray senior Shae Stinnett scored late in the game Thursday to make it 4-1. Pioneers coach Shawn Reid gave the edge in the game to the Stars, who came out hard on the puck and quick in transition.

"They disrupted everything," Reid said. "I think we were a little more tentative than what we're used to. We usually play with a lot of speed, but tonight they suffocated us."