State Girls Hockey: Edina moves on to AA semifinals after win over Northfield

In the first round of the Class AA Minnesota State High School League Girls State Hockey Tournament, the No. 2-seeded Edina Hornets (26-2) punched their ticket to the semifinals after defeating the Northfield Raiders (19-6-3) 7-0 on Thursday afternoon at the Xcel Energy Center.

***Click the video box above to watch highlights of Edina’s win***

The Hornets were dominant offensively, holding a 62-11 advantage in shots on goal throughout the contest. Penalties plagued the Raiders, as the Hornets capitalized on three power play goals in the game. Senior goalie Margaret Malecha ended the game with 55 saves in net for Northfield, logging a .887 save percentage.

The scoring effort was fairly balanced, as seven different players scored for the Hornets. The team was led by a four-point performance from senior Hailey Maxwell, as she scored once and tallied three assists. Teammates Berit Lindborg and Ellie Chapman each added three points, with a goal and two assists.

The first Edina goal came with less than a minute left in the first period, as the Hornets used a power play to take a lead before the first intermission. Sophomore Hannah Halverson chipped in a pass from senior Jane Kuehl to give their team the 1-0 advantage.

The Hornet offense really took off in the second period, as they scored three goals within the final six minutes of the frame. Eighth grader Lorelai Nelson scored first on a power play and then Kuehl added her own goal less than two minutes later to make it 3-0. Another power-play goal, this time from Lindborg, capped off the second period scoring, making it 4-0 heading into the final period.

In the third, Edina got goals from Chapman, Maxwell, and senior Audrey Keeley, as they cruised to the 7-0 win.

For the Raiders, sophomores Emerson Garlie and Ayla Puppe led the offense, taking four shots on goal each.

Edina will take on either Burnsville or Minnetonka in the semifinals that will take place on Friday at 6:00 p.m. Northfield will head to the Consolation Bracket, playing Friday at 10:00 a.m. at TRIA Rink.

Courtesy: Minnesota State High School League