Orono advanced to its first state championship game in program history with a 4-3 overtime win over Proctor/Hermantown on Friday afternoon.  

8th grade forward Maddy Kimbrel collected a loose puck that deflected off a skate and found the back of the net 3:47 into overtime. 

“It kinda seemed like a bad bounce that went to an Orono stick,” Mirage coach Emma Stauber said. “But that’s the game sometimes.”

P/H scored a dramatic goal of its own to send the game into overtime, as junior forward Izy Fairchild tied the game 3-3 with 32 seconds left in regulation. 

“She fumbled [the puck] a bit which also threw me off,” Orono senior goalie Celia Dahl said. 

These teams met in last year’s state semifinals as well with P/H advancing 4-1. 

“[Last season] we were more focused on getting to the tournament [for the first time],” Dahl said. “This year we’re more focused on what we can do now that we’re here.” 

The Mirage opened the scoring on senior forward Reese Heitzman’s goal off a quick, first-time pass from senior forward Nya Sieger. 

Orono answered on a power-play goal by junior forward Alexa Niccum in the opening minute of the second period. 

Orono sophomore forward Macy Rasmussen scored to make it 2-1 less than five minutes later, and sophomore forward Zoe Lopez extended the lead to 3-1 midway through the second frame. 

Sieger cut the P/H deficit in half late in the second period.

“The season’s not over and we can still end with a win,” Mirage senior defender Sophie Parendo said. 

Orono junior defender Grace Bickett missed last year’s state tournament recovering from an injury during varsity soccer season. 

“It’s a dream come true to be out there playing with my teammates and we’re here to win the whole thing,” Bickett said.

Warroad will look to defend its Class A title after defeating South St. Paul 4-1 in the semifinals on Friday afternoon. 

The Warriors, averaging over seven goals per game this season, were held to two goals deep into the game.

“They defended us really well,” Warroad head coach Dave “Izzy” Marvin said. 

Warroad senior forward Talya Hendrickson scored her 37th goal of the season to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead 2:38 into the first period. 

Warroad doubled its lead on a power-play goal by senior defender Lexi Kirkeby with 7:08 remaining in the second period. 

South St. Paul sophomore defender Lily Pachl scored her 24th goal of the season on the power play early in the third period. 

“The energy really picked up [on the bench],” Pachl said. “I just wanted to give our team a chance.” 

Warroad senior forward Kate Johnson restored the two-goal lead halfway through the third period, and added another goal, her 38th of the season, later in the frame. 

Marvin will coach against fellow Warroad native Larry Olimb, the coach of the Orono Spartans, in the Class A Championship at 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center. 

“We grew up a block apart,” Marvin said. “We were pretty good buddies.”

Proctor/Hermantown will play South St. Paul in the Class A Third Place Game at 9 a.m. on Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center.