On Friday, November 10th, Warroad beat Proctor/Hermantown 2-1 to open up the girls 2023-24 hockey season.

Exactly 103 days later, the two teams met yet again, this time inside the Xcel Energy Center and the result was the exact same; Warroad beat Proctor/Hermantown 2-1, this time with a game winning overtime goal.

Head Coach Emma Stauber says despite the result, she’s still proud of how her team battled through adversity.

“I’m really proud of this group. Obviously the mistakes there at the end with that change don’t define who we are and how far this team has come this year. So we’re, you know, we can’t hang our heads just from that one shift or that one mistake, if you want to call it that.”

“It was definitely a hard season for us,” said Izy Fairchild, a senior forward for the Mirage. “I mean, it helped us a lot in the end. You know, we had confidence in the last playoff teams and I think that just helped us get here.”

The Mirage had their backs up against the wall for the majority of the game, as Warroad’s Sophie Johnson buried a putback shot just over 10 minutes into the game. The Mirage had plenty of opportunities, but just couldn’t seem to capitalize.

However, in the waning minutes of the third period and after a drawn power play, the Mirage struck gold, as their 6-on-4 effort proved successful, as 8th grader Taylee Manion net the equalizer.

The game went into overtime tied up at 1-1, and it was Taylor Reese who was the recipient of the cross-ice pass and scored the game winner for Warroad.

Even after the win, Warroad head coach David Martin had plenty of praise for the Mirage.

“They were really well-coached. We’ve got a good relationship. I used to coach Emma {Stauber} in summer hockey. I’ve known her for a long time and she does a great job.”

The quest for their 5th straight Section 7A title begins next season.