Four teams shut out in Class A quarterfinals

Four games were played to open the 2025 Class A State Tournament Wednesday. In those four games, four teams scored goals and four teams did not. Four goalies earned four shutouts and four teams advanced to Friday’s semifinal.

Oh, and it is the same four teams who advanced last season. Orono, Warroad, Dodge County and Academy of Holy Angels find themselves in familiar territory, playing on Friday with a chance to get to championship Saturday. Fittingly, the four teams who advanced were also the top four teams in the final regular season LPH rankings.

Th difference is last season Dodge County faced Orono in the semifinals and beat them 4-2 to advance to the title game. Meanwhile Warroad defeated Academy of Holy Angels to advance and ultimately win their third straight state championship.

This year the Lady Warriors will have to get past Orono, who put up nine goals against Fergus Falls Wednesday. Top-seeded Dodge County will face Holy Angels as two Jori Jones Finalists will go head to head between the pipes.

The stage is set for a fun Friday.

Here is a recap of Wednesday’s quarterfinals:

Orono 9, Fergus Falls 0

Maddy Kimbrel had a hat trick, Zoe Lopez had two goals and three assists and Macy Rasmussen had two goals and two assists as Orono defeated Fergus Falls in the Class A tournament opener Wednesday.

The Spartans outshot the Otters 41-11 and dominated in the second period with a 22-2 shot margin and scoring five goals.

The game was scoreless for the first 12 minutes when a goal by Rasmussen opened the floodgates. Just over two minutes later Kimbrel scored the first of her three goals and less than a minute later scored the second as the Spartans entered the locker room with a 3-0 lead.

They didn’t waste any time in the second as Gaby Lopez netted a goal just 92 seconds into the frame. Kimbrel completed her hat trick at the 7:07 mark and Rasmussen got her second at the 9:40 mark.

Lillian Peck and Zoe Lopez both scored within 38 seconds of each other for an 8-0 lead. Lopez added the lone third-period goal for the 9-0 win.

Orono improved to 20-5-3 on the season. They will face defending champion Warroad in the semifinals Friday.

Warroad 4, Marshall 0

The reigning champion Lady Warriors won their 10^th consecutive state tournament game with a 4-0 win over Marshall Wednesday.

The Lady Warriors outshot the Tigers 34-9 including 11-4 in the first period. Emmie Hardwick scored the lone goal of the period when she roofed a wrister past Lily Stelter for a 1-0 lead off a nice feed from Lindsey Lorenson. It stayed 1-0 until midway through the second when Linnea Harren put the Warriors up 2-0, assisted by Olivia Anthony and Jaylie French. Stelter stayed strong for the Tigers, keeping them within reach until Katy Comstock put the Lady Warriors up 3-0 at the 6:23 mark. French then added an insurance goal five minutes later to put the game out of reach. Marshall couldn’t muster much offense against Warroad’s strong defense and ability to control the puck and ultimately control play.

Warroad improves to 25-3-0 and will battle Orono in the semifinal. Marshall falls to 22-4-2 and will take on Fergus Falls in the consolation bracket.

Dodge County 2, River Lakes 0

Top-seeded Dodge County got another shutout from Ida Huber, her state-leading 12^th of the season as they survived No. 8 seed River Lakes with a 2-0 win. Huber’s counterpart, River Lakes netminder Kaydence Roeske, was outstanding as well, turning away 33 shots including 14 in a scoreless third period to give her teammates a chance to pull within a goal.

Dodge County’s Nora Carstensen scored both goals for the Wildcats, her 18^th and 19^th tallies of the season. She leads the squad with 53 points. Alexa van Straaten assisted on both goals and Maysie Koch and Claire Dixon also had assists in the win.

Huber, a finalist for the Jori Jones Award, stopped all 21 shots she faced. Roeske was wa semifinalist for the award, which is given to the state’s top senior goaltender.

Dodge County will play Holy Angels Friday while River Lakes will take on Proctor/Hermantown.

Holy Angels 2, Proctor/Hermantown 0

Academy of Holy Angels followed suit of the other winners earlier in the day by shutting out their opponent, Proctor/Hermantown 2-0 in the quarterfinal nightcap. Jori Jones Award Finalist Zoe Rimstad recorded her fourth shutout of the season and 12^th of her career by turning away 34 shots as the Stars beat the Mirage 2-0.

Marissa Jung got the Stars on board when she caught a centering pass in her skates, but was able to get it to her stick and flip a fluttering puck above the shoulder of Mirage goalie Neelah McLeod. It was Jung’s ninth goal of the season.

It stayed 1-0 until midway through the third when Jung scored her second of the night for a 2-0 Stars lead. Taylor Lesnar made a nice move around a defenseman and found Jung in the slot, who hammered it between the pads of McLeod for a two-goal cushion. The goal came on the heels of a penalty kill where the Mirage had a couple chances to tie the game, but were stifled by RImstad and a formidable Holy Angels defense.

McLeod stopped 22 shots for the Mirage who will face River Lakes in the consolation bracket. The Stars will take on Dodge County in the semifinals on Friday for a chance get to the state title game Saturday.