The Minnesota State High School League girls hockey state tournament continues Friday with the Class 1A and 2A semifinals.

Catch up on what happened in Thursday’s Class 2A quarterfinals and the Class 1A quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Find box scores of each game on Strib Varsity. Here is the bracket for 2A, and here is the bracket for 1A.

Semifinals and championship games will be streamed on prep45.

Friday’s semifinal schedule

Class 1A

11 a.m. Warroad 6, Dodge County 5, OT

1 p.m. Breck 3, Blake 2

Class 2A

6 p.m. Edina vs. Hill-Murray

8 p.m. Holy Family vs. Centennial/Sprint Lake Park

Saturday’s championship schedule

Class 1A

4 p.m. Breck vs. Warroad

Class 2A

7 p.m.

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Final: Breck 3, Blake 2

Blake slipped a goal in with 12 seconds left. Sophomore Bryn Heinmiller tipped the puck past Breck goalie Clara Milinkovich with Addie Wethington and Elizabeth Salonek on the assist.

But Breck prevailed.

With a shrill scream as the final horn blared, the Mustangs punched their ticket to Saturday’s state final. Breck will take on Warroad for the Class 1A girls hockey state title on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 4 p.m.

— Olivia Hicks

Third period: Breck 3, Blake 1

We’re halfway through the third and Breck is keeping a firm hold on its 3-1 lead.

The Mustangs found a rhythm in Blake territory, attempting to match the Bears’ shots-on-goal advantage with a 34-23 shooting gap. Sophomore defender Aleah La Fleur nearly repeated her first period game-opening goal with another shot from the blue line, but failed to sneak it past the puddle of players in front of the net.

— Olivia Hicks

End of the 2nd: Breck 3, Blake 1

Blake was hungry to even the scoreboard. Sophomore Bryn Heinmiller attempted a tip-in with 20 seconds left. As the clock ticked down, a frenzy of blue and green crowded the Breck net but couldn’t find Clara Milinkovich’s weak spot.

Even as Breck sophomore forward Mackenna Schlieman racked up two penalties for tripping in the period, the Bears failed to score on the power play. Blake is, however, outshooting the Mustangs 31-15.

— Olivia Hicks

Second period: Breck 3, Blake 1

Less than four minutes into the period, Breck extended its lead when Taylor Hall scored her 24th goal of the season after receiving a pass from Alex Ulrich, fed from Clara Milinkovich on a power play. The sophomore forward carried the puck up the ice and shot it over Blake goalie Janie McGawn’s left shoulder.

The Bears racked up five shots on goal from five different players in the first three minutes. Ella Bond, Bryn Heinmiller, Elle Anderson, Mak Williams and Callie Arthur all attempted to get the puck past Clara Milinkovich in order to tie the scoreboard.

— Olivia Hicks

How Warroad won the third installment of Class 1A’s newest rivalry

Warroad senior forward Taylor Reese admitted that she hadn’t expected that her words after the Warriors’ state quarterfinal win would make her the de facto target of the Dodge County student section’s boos in the semifinal.

“I want to play Dodge County. I think we owe it to them,” Reese had said in a postgame press conference, words which seemed to make their way south. “Last year… yeah, bad memories. So I want to give it to them a little bit, make them feel it like how we felt it last year.”

She was referring to last year’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Wildcats, which ended the Warriors streak of three state championships, including over Dodge County in 2024, on the Wildcats’ first trip to state.

But Reese let the noise motivate, not deter her. She scored a hat trick in the eventual 6-5 Warroad win, after the top-seeded Warriors went down 2-0, then had to hold off a late rally by No. 4 Dodge County that forced overtime with two goals in the game’s last 85 seconds.

“My line over here did a really good job at getting me the puck,” Reese said. “Just splitting the D, I knew that was open … I was able to get around them and get a tip on the puck.”

Linemate Jaylie French, a junior forward committed to Dartmouth, had the winner off a wide-open breakaway less than three minutes into overtime. French, scoring her second goal of the game, was teed up all alone in the offensive zone by a heads-up play from senior defender Vivienne Marcowka.

“I was cherry picking,” French said, smiling a bit as she acknowledged the risk of not tracking back quite as far, “and Viv saw me, and I was like okay, we’ve got to win it.”

Senior center Linnea Harren completed the six-goal haul from the Warriors’ red-hot top line.

The budding Warriors-Wildcats rivalry, which both head coaches said is born in big games like this, has brought together a northern Minnesota powerhouse with southern Minnesota’s first girls hockey state champion. The Wildcats clawed their way back with junior forward Bryn Spreiter completing her hat trick to tie the game with 20 seconds left.

“I think [Warroad and head coach David Marvin] takes pride like we do,” Dodge County head coach Jeremy Gunderson said. “We take a lot of pride and try to be the best team down south. And we always joke with each other, he wants to kind of own the north. Let’s meet down here, and then we’ll kind of take it to the metro schools.”

Gunderson said that he received a “good luck” text from southern Minnesota hockey standout, Taylor Heise of Lake City, fresh off winning a gold medal with Team USA yesterday.

After the Warriors’ win, Reese was asked who she’d rather face in the title game from the next semifinal, second seed Breck or third seed Blake.

“I can’t answer that,” Reese said, shaking her head as the room laughed.

No more fuel for opposing student sections, but hopefully more hat tricks.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

End of 1st: Breck 2, Blake 1

With just over a minute left in the period, Breck gained an advantage going into the second period when sophomore forward Mackenna Schlieman narrowly avoided a pile-up in front of the Blake goal, intercepted a blocked shot off of Bears goalie Janie McGawn and wrapped the puck around to find a shot into the right corner.

— Olivia Hicks

First period: Breck 1, Blake 1

Blake took that Breck goal personally. In less than a minute, the Bears recorded seven shots.

Junior Lou Dalum’s shot was the only one that stuck. Assisted by junior Callie Arthur, the puck slipped past Breck goalie Clara Milinkovich.

Blake is now outshooting Breck 10-8.

— Olivia Hicks

Olympic connections

With the U.S. women’s hockey team fresh off yesterday’s gold medal win in Italy, and the U.S. men chasing their own, there’s a few Class 1A coaching connections to both of those Olympic rosters.

Warroad assistant coach Blake Nelson is the brother of third-generation U.S. Olympian and Warroad native Brock Nelson. Per the game broadcast, Blake was in Italy to watch Brock prior to the state tournament, then flew back to rejoin the Warriors team.

From the other Class 1A semifinal, Breck assistant coach Anna Zumwinkle is the sister of gold medalist and Frost forward Grace Zumwinkle. Sisters Anna, Grace and Emily all played for the Mustangs. And head coach Tricia Luoma is a three-time medalist with the U.S. women’s team, including gold in 1998.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

First period: Breck 1, Blake 0

Breck opened up scoring five minutes into the period with sophomore defender Aleah La Fleur’s clean shot from the blue line sinking past Blake goalie Janie McGawn on the power play. Sophomore forward Taylor Hall and sophomore defender Alexis Ulrich assisted on the play.

The Bears have looked for tip-ins as they crowd Breck’s net but Blake hasn’t been able to find a shot.

Breck is outshooting Blake 7-3.

— Olivia Hicks

Pregame: Breck vs. Blake

A sea of blue and white is already filing into Grand Casino Arena’s seats as the Breck Mustangs (25-1-1) strap on their pads to take on the Blake Bears (21-6-0) in the Class 1A semifinal showdown between the two private schools.

The Mustangs, the No. 2 seed, haven’t been here since 2020 but hope to return to their 2012, 2018, 2019 and 2020 title-winning ways, led by a young top-scoring trio of sophomores. The Bears, the No. 3 seed, are in a similar situation. Breck hasn’t visited the state tournament since 2017 but carries the confidence of four consecutive state titles from 2013-17.

The Bears will rely on starting All-Minnesota goalie and Dartmouth commit Janie McGawn and her quick mitts to launch them into the finals.

— Olivia Hicks

Final: Warroad 6, Dodge County 5

Two minutes into overtime, the Jumbotron at Grand Casino Arena showed the replay of last year’s overtime winner from Dodge County. The big Wildcats student section cheered, even though there was still unfinished business in this year’s title game.

And that business would finish a minute later, when junior forward Jaylie French scored on a breakaway, all alone in the top-seeded Warriors offensive zone.

What a game.

Each team clawed back from a two-goal deficit to keep this one close, including from No. 4-seed Dodge County to tie it with 20 seconds to play. All the fans that came early for Breck vs. Blake sure got a treat, even if their 1 p.m. semifinal game will start a bit delayed.

Warroad gets a chance to reignite another state-championship streak after winning three in a row from 2022-24. They do so by getting revenge on the team that ended that four-peat campaign in last year’s title game.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

Third period: Dodge County 5, Warroad 5

What’s an overtime rematch without, well, overtime? That’s the case again this year as Alexa Van Straaten served in a dangerous look that Bryn Spreiter finished for her third, and most important, goal of the game with 20 seconds to go.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

Third period: Warroad 5, Dodge County 4

The Wildcats won’t go down without a fight. Senior Zoie Heimer, last year’s overtime hero, got one back once Dodge County pulled its goalie.

It’s a one-goal game with a minute to play.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

Third period: Warroad 5, Dodge County 3

That’s a hat trick for senior captain Taylor Reese as Linnea Harren dropped another dangerous pass from behind the goal line. Junior forward Jaylie French whiffed on the front post shot but forced the Wildcats to scramble. The puck popped off of Reese’s skate and in as she crashed the crease, and was ruled to not be a kicking motion, so the goal stood under review.

With under four minutes to play, the Wildcats will need some late magic to force overtime.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

Third period: Warroad 4, Dodge County 3

The Warriors are putting on a clinic on how to start a period. After scoring 13 seconds into the second period, they scored 42 seconds into the third frame. Wildcats goalie Faith Humphrey swept a puck behind the net, but Warroad forward Taylor Reese jumped on the puck at the boards before a Dodge County player could, dropping a pass to senior forward Linnea Harren who buried her eighth goal of the year.

That’s Warroad’s first lead of the game.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

End of second: Dodge County 3, Warroad 3

This one has been all we can ask for out of an exciting semifinal so far. Shots are even 19-19, scoreline even 3-3. Warroad cut the two-goal deficit with all three of their goals in this second period, with two from senior Taylor Reese (including shorthanded to open the frame) and a goal and two assists from savvy junior forward Jaylie French.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

Second period: Warroad 3, Dodge county 3

That French-Reese connection just can’t be beat today. Seven minutes into second period, a heads-up play from Jaylie French found Taylor Reese again in front of the net, who beat her defender and flipped a backhanded shot past Humphrey. Tied game again.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

Second period: Dodge County 3, Warroad 2

After Warroad’s quarterfinal win, senior forward Taylor Reese said the Warriors wanted a rematch with Dodge County in the semis.

“I want to play Dodge County. I think we owe it to them. Last year … bad memories," she said. “So I want to give it to give it to them a little bit, make them feel it like how we felt it last year.”

That might be what got Reese booed by the big Dodge County student section during the lineup announcement.

She’s been backing that up so far, providing the key net front screen on Jaylie French’s power-play goal from the left faceoff circle, assisted by Viviee Marcowka and Olivia Anthony, less than four minutes into the second period.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

Second period: Dodge County 3, Warroad 1

What a game from junior forward Bryn Spreiter, who waited by the Warroad post to pounce on a deflected shot by sophomore defender Josie Fulton, less than a minute after the Warriors goal. Spreiter now has two of her season’s 12 goals in this state semifinal.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

Second period: Dodge County 2, Warroad 1

What a response from the Warriors! Dodge County barely touched the puck in the first 13 seconds of the period before Dartmouth-bound junior Jaylie French picked up the puck up on the right boards of the neutral zone and found senior captain Taylor Reese open in the high slot for a hard shot past Humphrey. That’s Reese’s 19th goal of the season, French’s 36th assist.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

End of the first: Dodge County 2, Warroad 0

Dodge County has made the most of its time in the offensive zone. The Warriors haven’t had a lucky break since Dodge County opened the scoring about 12 minutes into the period, with Humphrey getting a pad to a deflected Warroad shot that was the Warriors’ most dangerous chance late. Offsetting penalties 20 seconds apart ended the period with some 4-on-4 hockey.

There’s still plenty of time left in this one for the Warriors, who rallied from a two-goal deficit in last year’s championship game loss. The Wildcats have outshot Warroad 14-10.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

First period: Dodge County 2, Warroad 0

The defending champs got on the board first, and did it again less than two minutes later.

Dodge County has looked strong in the neutral zone, and that’s where senior defender and Assumption commit Alexa Van Straaten comes from for a long-range shot, leading to a bobbled rebound that junior forward Bryn Spreiter crashed into the crease to put away.

Then, senior defender Kylie Meyer carried the puck into the offensive zone, cut to the middle and slung a shot past Rolli to double the Wildcats’ early lead late in the first.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

Puck drop: No. 1 Warroad vs No. 4 Dodge County

These teams are separated by a seven-hour drive from the top of Minnesota to just outside of Rochester, but recently, the two programs have had more in common than they’ve differed.

Warroad, winners of three consecutive Class 1A titles from 2022-2024, tie South St. Paul’s record for the most trips to state, with 17, and are back with the No. 1 seed after meeting the Wildcats in the title game as a lower seed, both of the past two seasons.

Dodge County’s accession is more recent, but nonetheless impressive. The Wildcats have never made state without reaching the championship game: runners up in 2024, then first-time champs in 2025. They got back on that path with a 3-2 overtime win over No. 5 Proctor/Hermantown in the quarterfinals.

Wildcats junior goalie Faith Humphrey has done a strong job sliding in for graduated standout Ida Huber, and All-Minnesota Gophers commit Payton Rolli is likely to be tested more in goal this morning than she was in the Warriors’ 6-1 quarterfinal win over Luverne.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

Round of four

What a day of hockey we’ve got ahead. Rivalries, rematches, and four tickets to Saturday’s two state title games are on the line.

Let’s give a quick sweep through just how great the action at Grand Casino Arena should be today:

In Class 1A: No. 1 Warroad vs. No. 4 Dodge County. These teams met twice in, and split, the last two Class 1A state title games. Dodge County won in overtime last year, ending Warroad’s chance at a championship four-peat.

Following that game will be No. 2 Breck vs No. 3 Blake. The two metro private schools have met once at state, in 2007. Otherwise, they spent most of the decade playing through the same section, taking turns sharing a berth at state that was almost a guaranteed title win — Breck in 2012, Blake in four of five years from 2013-17, then Breck again from 2018-2020, once Blake temporarily moved up to 2A.

In the evening session in Class 2A: No. 1 Hill-Murray vs No. 4 Edina. All that stuff about Warroad vs Dodge County? Just sub in the two schools here. Hill-Murray won last year’s title in double-overtime over the Hornets, and Edina took it the year before that.

And finally, No. 2 Centennial/Spring Lake Park and No. 3 Holy Family will meet for the fifth time this season. The pair played three regular season games and one holiday tournament clash, split evenly 2-2, three of them decided by one goal. Fire head coach Randy Koeppl said this one should likely be “a track meet.”

We’ve got 13 of this year’s 25 All-Minnesota players represented in the final eight teams, and plenty of other standouts to keep an eye on.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer