St. Paul, MN - In search of their third state championship and sixth final game appearance, the #1 seed Warroad Warriors had the #4 seed Alexandria Cardinals standing in their way.  Hannah Corneliuson, Genevieve Hendrickson, and Kaitlyn Kotlowski were a part of a Warrior team that was unfazed and each scored a two goals to help the Warriors to a 7-1 win and a berth in the state final against the Breck Mustangs on Saturday afternoon.

Anna Doherty opened the scoring for Alexandria from a feed from McKenna Ellingson.  Doherty loaded the puck up from the slot area and launched a wrister past Warrior goalie Quinn Kuntz for the 1-0 lead at 7:11. The first period was intense with back-and-forth play and quality goaltending for each team.

The Warriors ripped off 7 unanswered goals and allowed just 6 shots against over the final two periods.  During the effort, Karlie Meeker had 3 assists for the Warriors.  

The goal scoring barrage began with Corneliuson who went coast-to-coast from behind the net while carving through the Cardinals team and beat goalie Hailee Bailey to tie the game at 1 with 3:45 remaining in the first period.

Four minutes into the second period, the Warriors had a five-on-three powerplay for two minutes as the Cardinals were whistled for too many players on the ice and a body checking call at the same time.  The Warriors had zone time and chances but Bailey slammed the door in goal.

The Warriors were not deterred however, and took the 2-1 lead on Hendrickson’s unassisted goal.  She cut to her forehand from the right boards and ripped one in off the post for her first of the tournament.  

A pair of penalties late in the second period quickly turned a 2-1 Warroad lead into a 4-1 lead while the Warriors struck twice on the power play.  The first was a tripping penalty and Warroad’s Kotlowski fired a long shot from the right point through a screen provided by Madison Oelkers for the 2-0 lead at 13:43.  A body checking penalty was whistled on Alexandria that Corneliuson took advantage of for her second of the game and fourth of the tournament and 42nd of the year. Corneliuson also had an assist for a three point game.

Third period goals by Hendrickson, Tiffani Foster, and Kotlowski opened up a 6 goal lead and turned a tight 1-1 hockey game after one period into a 7-1 running time third period. Kotlowski also had an assist to go along with her two goals to produce a three point effort.

The Warriors will face the Breck Mustangs in the State Class A Final Saturday afternoon at 4pm at the Xcel Energy Center. Alexandria will faceoff with Proctor/Hermantown for third place on Saturday morning at 11am from the Xcel Energy Center.