Taryn Wernecke proved to be the hero for the Dodge County girls hockey team Wednesday, Feb. 18. Scoring late in overtime, she lifted the No. 4-seeded defending Class 1A state champions over No. 5 seed Proctor/Hermantown 3-2 in the state quarterfinals at Grand Casino Arena.

“Daisy [Harens], she was in the corner, and I saw her. She was looking for a pass. I was ready, and so she passed it, and it just went in,” said Wernecke, a junior forward for the Wildcats.

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Dodge County initially held control of the game, with a first-period goal from Maysie Koch and a second-period goal from Harens to lead 2-0. The Mirage answered with two power-play goals from Rylee Kalkbrenner and Grace Nichols to tie the score 2-2 through two periods.

After a scoreless third period, the game went into overtime. Thanks to Wernecke’s game-winning goal, and a steady performance from Wildcats goalie Faith Humphrey, Dodge County secured its spot in the semifinals.

“This is my first state tournament actually being here,” Humphrey said. “I’m always going to be a little nervous about this, but, just super excited.”

The junior goaltender finished the game with 24 saves.

Dodge County advances to face No. 1 seed Warroad in the Class 1A semifinals Friday, Feb. 20, at 11 a.m. That marks a rematch of the last two state championship games. The Wildcats won in 2025 and the Warriors in 2024.

For live coverage of the girls hockey state tournament, follow the Strib Varsity live blog.