While it was the very last period where the team exploded, the Silver outshot Shattuck-St. Mary’s in each of the three periods, with the third period being a 10-3 advantage. With two Division I commits in goal — Anne Jane McGawn and Kayla Swartout — the only goal from Shattuck-St. Mary’s came on a power play in the second period.

“We have very solid goaltending,” Rosenthal said. “They see the puck [and] they make huge saves which keeps us in the game. Another way to gain momentum, you kill a penalty. Goaltending and defense wins championships.”

Controlling the puck to this point and outshooting Shattuck-St. Mary’s, MN Silver finally scored the game’s first goal courtesy of Talla Hansen with an assist from Sydney Burnevik.

“The goalie was staying up a little bit, so I was telling them to shoot low, and that’s where she sniped it,” Rosenthal said. “That’s where we want to beat her. Great momentum, hockey’s a huge momentum sport and that goal got us going in the right direction.”

Shattuck St. Mary’s came out hot to start the second period, as Monica Berres scored 10 seconds into a power play with 15:28 to go in the period.

With under 13 minutes to go, Cate McCoy rifled a puck into the top left corner of the net which sent the crowd buzzing. Nicknamed the “Silent Assassin” by her teammates, McCoy took pride in being able to come through in a big moment.

“It felt good,” McCoy said. “Anyone can score, and it feels great to be able to put our team above to give us a better shot at winning. It brings momentum for everyone else to keep playing hard, too.”

McCoy’s goal opened the floodgates for MN Silver, as they scored four more goals in the game’s final eight minutes.

“In hockey, it’s an anaerobic game,” Rosenthal said. “You’re going hard, and you’re getting off. But we had legs, and we used that to our advantage in the third. We’re not going to give up, we’re going to keep our feet moving, keep the pressure on. All tournament long our third period has been very strong.”

The celebration on the ice lasted for almost 30 minutes after the game. Hugs were given, photos were taken and the team even set up a phone for a TikTok dance at the very end.

“It’s a feeling like no other because of all of our hard work,” McCoy said. “We all play for different teams most of the [year]. We come together in the spring and the fall. It just feels so good to be able to put all of our strength together because we’re just a really skilled team.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.