Getting familiar: Girls hockey state semis feature same eight as last year

Friday's Class 1A semifinal games featured something that hadn't happened since the girls hockey state tournament went to two classes in 2002: The matchups were the same as last year.

This year and last, Orono and Proctor/Hermantown faced each other, followed by Warroad and South St. Paul. The only change in the bracket involved seeds, with Orono going from No. 2 to No. 3 this year. On the ice, the result was different, too, as Orono defeated the Mirage 4-3 in overtime Friday.

"We call it the revenge tour 2023," Orono junior defenseman Grace Bickett said.

On the other side, Warroad once again defeated South St. Paul. The last rematch in the Class 1A semifinals before this year was in 2016-17, when St. Paul United defeated Warroad in back-to-back years. Six semifinal rematches in Class 1A have occurred, with the same team winning back-to-back four times of the six instances.

The Class 2A semifinals this year also include the same four teams as last year but with different matchups. Having the same four teams represented in the semifinals in each class intrigued South St. Paul coach Dave Palmquist, who is in his 36th year coaching girls hockey and 17th state tournament.

"It's really unbelievable considering how tough it is just to get out of your section, let alone win your first game, and everything has to go right," Palmquist said.

Having two semifinal rematches in Class 2A has never happened, though there have been five previous rematches in the semis. Lake Conference foes Minnetonka and Edina met in each of the past two tournaments, with Edina advancing in 2021 and Minnetonka last year. Of the five rematches in Class 2A, teams split twice.

Though Orono is playing in its second consecutive state tournament, Bickett is on the ice at Xcel Energy Center for the first time. She missed her sophomore season recovering from a right knee injury from soccer. She switched to being a soccer manager this fall and focused on hockey. The result was five goals and a team-leading 33 assists.

Bickett said she's thrilled to be playing in the tournament, calling it a dream come true.

"I got to watch the girls succeed and get there in the first place, make history," Bickett said. "Now we're going to make history again and go to the championship. We really want it this year."

Orono coach Larry Olimb is in his first year coaching Orono's girls program, and he has led the team to the state championship game. He'll face a familiar program in Warroad, where Olimb grew up and played hockey. The 1988 Mr. Hockey winner, he played for Warroad in the 1987 and 1988 boys state tournaments.

Before Olimb knew Orono's title game opponent Friday, he said the opportunity to play Warroad "would be a thrill" because you "want to beat the best."

"Warroad's been No. 1 all season and the defending champs," Olimb said. "So we would love to have that opportunity, for sure."

After the matchup was confirmed with Warroad's 4-1 victory over South St. Paul in the second semifinal, Warroad coach David Marvin said he didn't know what it would be like to coach against Olimb. They grew up a block apart.

"We're good buddies," Marvin said. "He's got his team playing well. I'm happy for them."

Not even the loss of senior captain Ella Boerger with three minutes remaining in a one-goal game fazed Andover goaltender Courtney Stagman.

"That's kind of the story of Andover hockey," Stagman said. "We always get a penalty last minute."

She became her team's best penalty killer down the stretch, keeping Edina from tying the score, even when her counterpart between the pipes, the Hornets' Uma Corniea, was pulled for a sixth attacker.

"It's always fun," said Stagman, who finished with 19 saves. "It becomes really intense, and I like the big moments."