skip navigation

Gardner, Oelkers Lead Warroad Over Hibbing/Chisholm

02/22/2017, 5:15pm CST
By Peter Odney
Credit: Nick Wosika.

Credit: Nick Wosika.

A scoreless first period proved to be a poor indicator for the rest of today's girls' Class A State Tournament quarterfinals matchup between Warroad and Hibbing/Chisholm. The third-seeded Warriors and Bluejackets combined for seven goals in the second and third periods, with Warroad emerging with a 5-2 victory.

“We had moments where we put the puck where we didn’t want to put the puck,” Bluejackets’ head coach Emily Erickson said after the game. “When you’re playing in a tournament like the State Tournament, moments like that, with the players (Warroad has), they’re going to capitalize on it,” Erickson continued. “Those are mistakes that you don’t want to be making at this level.”

The primary benefactors of those mistakes were Warroad senior forward Mariah Gardner and junior forward Madison Oelkers, who combined for three goals and nine points while having a hand in all five of the Warroad goals.

“These two took over for us a little bit, and that’s been a common theme when we’ve had success,” Warroad head coach David Marvin said of Oelkers and Gardner.

Senior and Minnesota-Duluth commit Mallorie Iozzo and freshman Emma Lundell scored once each for the Bluejackets (17-11-1).

Credit: Nick Wosika.

Credit: Nick Wosika.

Oelkers and Gardner have totaled 81 and 75 points, respectively, this season for the Warriors (18-8-2), and will join Gardner’s older sister Demi at Minnesota State when their high school careers conclude.

It was Gardner who found Oelkers for the Warriors’ second and third goals, which were near replicas of each other. On both goals, Gardner slid a pass to a Oelkers breaking through the Hibbing/Chisholm slot, then Oelkers chipped the puck past Bluejacket goaltender Abby Hedstrom.

“We know each other pretty well,” Oelkers said, adding that the two have played together since her eighth-grade season, Gardner’s freshman year. “If she’s carrying (the puck) in wide, I know to go to the net because she’ll find me and she’ll slip a pass through anyone’s legs, just to get it to my stick,” Oelkers explained.

Eighth-grader Genevieve Hendrickson and freshman Tahra Johnson each added single goals for the Warriors, who will face St. Paul United on Friday, a rematch of last season’s semifinals, in which the Warriors fell 3-2.

The United also earned a 3-1 win over Warroad during the regular season, and Oelkers says her team is ready to amend both losses on the big stage.

“We’re definitely going to be prepared to play them in the Xcel,” Oelkers said with a grin. 

Credit: Nick Wosika.

Credit: Nick Wosika.

Top Stories

Tag(s): State Of Hockey  News