Proctor/Hermantown girls’ hockey is in the state tournament for the sixth year in a row, but hasn’t made it past the first round in three seasons. However, ahead of its matchup with Dodge County on Wednesday, there’s a new mentality.
“Just the belief in us and our systems and this group that we have is going to be super important in that quarterfinal,” explained head coach Emma Stauber. “If we can find our way through that game, play really disciplined hockey, I think we’ll have a good chance, regardless of the opponent, to push through the next two games. But, we’ve got to get that first one done, and I think it’s going to start with just continuing that belief that we can get it done.”
The Mirage beat the Wildcats 5-1 back in December as part of a four-game win streak. This time around though, there’s no worrying about the past.
“Going down there we need to be focused, we need to be dialed in, we need to know how to play our game and what we need to do to win that game to move on and hopefully get to the [championship],” said senior forward and assistant captain Peighton Paulson.
“We’ve really started playing some of the best hockey that we’ve seen this season so that’s really exciting,” stated Stauber. “Hopefully, we can take that into next week, kind of drown out the noise on the outside and just focus on what it is that we need to do, our responsibilities.”
Fifth-seeded Proctor/Hermantown goes into states with an 18-6-2 record after outscoring its opponents 14-1 during the section tournament. On the other hand, fourth-seeded Dodge County comes in at 20-6-1 and has won seven of its last eight.
Since winning it all in 2021, the Mirage have only gotten past the quarterfinals twice but look to change that when puck drops from Grand Casino Arena at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
For Related Stories: hockey Proctor/Hermantown Mirage State Tournaments