Taryn Wernecke proved to be the hero for Dodge County girls hockey on Wednesday. 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.
The Dodge County girls hockey team skates to an overtime win against Proctor/Hermantown in the Class 1A state quarterfinals.
Click the video box above to see game highlights and hear from Dodge County.
Dodge County initially held control of the game, with a first-period goal from Maysie Koch and a second-period goal from Daisy Harens to lead 2-0. The Mirage answered with two power-play goals from Rylee Kalkbrenner and Grace Nichols to tie the game 2-2 after the second.
After a scoreless third period, the match went into overtime. Thanks to the Wernecke game-winning goal, and a steady performance from Wildcat goalie Faith Humphrey, Dodge County secured its spot in the semifinals.
“This is my first state tournament actually being here. I’m always going to be a little nervous about this, but, just super excited,” Humphrey said.
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.