Class A Girls Hockey State Championship: Warroad 6, Proctor/Hermantown 1
Posted: Saturday, February 26, 2022 - 6:16 PM
Warroad’s state championship dry spell ended in a dominating way during the 2022 Minnesota State High School League’s Girls Hockey State Tournament in St. Paul. The Warriors certainly played the part of team to beat in the Class A field by blitzing their three opponents by a combined 18-1 en route to winning a state championship for the first time since 2011.
And as they did throughout the state tournament run, their crowning performance in the Class A title game came courtesy of scoring in bunches.
Junior forward Kate Johnson scored two goals during a four-goal flurry in the second period that send the Warriors to a 6-1 victory over Proctor/Hermantown on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022 at the Xcel Energy Center. Junior defender Abigail Chamernick added three assists to power Warroad (26-3-1), who scored six unanswered goals en route to the third title in program history. The Warriors, making their 13th state tournament appearance, also won championships in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Warroad has been the Class A runner-up four gives and the Class AA second-place finisher in 2006.
With the Class A championship at stake, Proctor/Hermantown, trying to defend the small-school crown won in 2021, scored the only goal against Warroad in three state tournament games. That goal by junior forward Nya Sieger gave the Mirage (21-8-1) the lead with less than three minutes elapsed.
While Warroad didn’t immediately respond, it did so with a flurry in the second period.
Junior forward Talya Hendrickson started the avalanche of goals three minutes into the period and another came about three minutes later from senior forward Madison Lavergne. Those were followed by two from Johnson. Two more followed in the second period.
Warroad outshot the Mirage 34-19 in the championship game.
In Warroad’s 5-0 victory over South St. Paul in the semifinals, the Warriors had four third-period goals in a span of 2 minutes, 8 seconds. Junior forward Lila Lanctot had three of them in a span of 1:38.
Warroad has just three seniors on its roster and could already earn the label of team to beat in 2023.