Class A Girls Hockey State Quarterfinal: Warroad 7, River Lakes 0
Posted: Wednesday, February 23, 2022 - 8:18 PM
The top-seeded Warroad Warriors (24-3-1) had a strong start to the Class A Minnesota State High School League State Tournament, getting past the River Lakes Stars (16-13) 7-0 on Wednesday night at the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul.
The Warroad offense was a force to be reckoned with, firing 62 shots throughout the game, while holding River Lakes to 11 shots on the night. Twelve different players were involved in the scoring for the Warriors, being led by freshman Kaiya Sandy, junior Tayla Hendrickson, and junior Kate Johnson who each had a goal and a pair of assists. Hendrickson now has 86 points on the season, and Johnson has 84, as the teammates rank in the top-six in the state in scoring.
River Lakes was led by senior Kianna Roeske who tallied seven shots throughout the game, with four of them being on net.
The Warriors got their offense going right away, as Hendrickson scored just over two minutes into the game, putting away a loose puck to give Warroad the quick 1-0 lead. Hendrickson was assisted by Abbey Reule and Johnson on the play. Warroad would get two more goals before the end of the first period, with junior Cahlilah Lindquist scoring the second marker and Sandy scoring on a power play.
River Lakes started the second period with a 4-0 run on shots, taking advantage of a Warroad penalty, but the Warriors were able to hold off the attack, keeping their 3-0 lead intact. Warroad would stretch their lead to 5-0 within the second period, getting goals from Katy Comstock and Lila Lanctot.
Johnson scored less than a minute into the third period and teammate Maddie Skogman capped off the scoring late in the period to make the final 7-0.
Freshman goalie Kaydence Roeske was kept busy in net all day, tallying an impressive 55 saves for River Lakes, which included blocking a penalty shot. Senior goalie Kendra Nordick was perfect in net for Warroad, knocking away all 11 shots that came her way.
The Warriors will play again on Friday at 1:00 p.m., heading to the semifinals where they will take on the winner of the Luverne vs. South St. Paul contest. The Stars will head to the Consolation Bracket, playing on Thursday at TRIA Rink.