Orono girls hockey defeats Holy Angels to reach state tournament
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ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — The Orono Spartans defeated the Academy of Holy Angels Stars 4-0 in the Class 1A, Section 5 final on Friday night at St Louis Park Recreation Center.
Orono got on the board nine minutes into the first period, which was all it needed as it shutout the Academy of Holy Angels to punch its ticket to the state tournament.
Kali Schmidt scored twice led the way for the Spartans.
Defense leads the way for the Spartans
The game was a 2-0 game for the last two periods until Orono added two late empty netters to put the game on ice.
Orono goalie Celia Dahl stole the show for the Spartans. She stopped all 17 of the shots that came her way. Dahl bailed her defense out multiple times throughout the game by stopping point-blank shots in the slot to preserve the shutout.
“In the third we had some mental lapse on defense. We gave Holy Angels good chances in the slot all alone," Orono head coach Larry Olimb said. "She really did save us tonight. She was no question the difference for us.”
Dahl did get some help on the offensive end as the Spartans scored two goals in the first period to grab control of the game. Schmidt opened the scoring for Orono as she tucked home a loose puck in front of the net to give the Spartans an early lead. Minutes later, Zoe Lopez scored glove side to give the Trojans a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.
“Scoring first and being ahead is a huge advantage for a young team like us,” Olimb said. "It allowed us to breathe a little easier and not be overly concerned that, if a bounce doesn't go our way, we would still be ahead.”
Orono didn't take its put off the gas after scoring. It was the more aggressive team the entire night as it outshot Holy Angles in every single period.
Spartans win the big one
These two teams met on December 15, a game that saw Holy Angels defeat Orono 2-1. In the first meeting, it was Holy Angels who jumped out to an early two-goal lead and used its defense to shut down the high powered Orono offense.
Scoring first in this game was going to be important, and the Spartans knew that. Orono was eager to get on the board first. They were the first ones to every puck, and they peppered the Holy Angels goaltender with shot after shot before eventually getting on the board.
“They play a very sound structure of hockey,” Olimb said. “We knew we had to be patient this time around and take advantage of the chances we get.”
This time around, Orono took advantage of the mistakes Holy Angels made and turned those mistakes into goals.
“We got a couple of bounces that we didn't get in December, but these were two competitive games between two very even teams,” Olimb said.
After placing third in last year's state tournament, Orono will get another crack at the tournament, this time hoping to go all the way.
Here is our photo gallery from the game:
Orono vs. Holy Angels in Class 1A, Section 5 final
