St. Paul, MN- After winning their first girl’s class AA state championship in school history last year, the Edina Hornets have a repeat on their minds. They took the first step in defending their title with a convincing 4-0 victory over the Brainerd/Little Falls on Thursday night at the Xcel Energy Center.

It didn’t take long for the Hornets to get buzzing.  Less than 2 minutes in, a soft backhander from Emily Oden in the slot snuck past Brainerd’s Nicole Schultz for the early 1-0 advantage.

Edina added to their lead with less than 6 minutes remaining in the first. On a 5 on 3 powerplay, Tella Jungels buried a beautiful back door pass from Annie Kuehl in the heart of the slot. The Hornets would finish off the first period with a 9-1 advantage in shots. They pushed the tempo at a high pace and moved the puck efficiently and quickly, forcing the Warriors to chase the game.

Brainerd was gifted with their first 5 on 3 chance in the second period but they were unable to convert. Edina continued to dominate the shot chart throughout the stanza and forced Brainerd to burn their time out early.

With 7 seconds remaining on another powerplay for Edina, CC Bowly scored to increase their lead to 3. A shot in the slot from Brooke Tucker created a juicy rebound and she wasted no time burying it past Schultz.

Edina added a goal from Olivia Swaim in the final minute of the period. A pass from Chorske bounced off her skate and she quickly tapped it home. Yet again, the Hornets controlled the offensive momentum and continue to pound Schultz with shots.

While Edina’s Megan Smith didn’t have a large quantity of shots, she was tested a number of times and answered the bell perfectly. She made 10 saves to earn the shutout victory.

The Hornets have advanced to the semifinals and will face the winner of Andover vs Eden Prairie on Friday night.  Brainerd will move to the consolation semifinal and face the loser of that game tomorrow, a noon game at Ridder Arena.