Possession time and shots on goal overwhelmingly were in her team’s favor after the first period, small consolation for Thief River Falls coach Whitney Restemayer.

Zero goals and a scoreless tie with New Ulm got her attention.

“We didn’t start as well as we would have liked,” she said.

Three goals in a little more than five minutes of second-period play improved the Prowlers’ mood. They pulled away for a 5-1 victory.

Thief River Falls (24-1-3), carrying the No. 1 seed into its first-ever Class 1A tournament appearance, used its offensive talents to reach Friday’s semifinal. The Prowlers’ 58 shots on goal set a state tournament record for a non-overtime game.

Holding Thief River Falls scoreless despite a 16-3 shots on goal disparity in the first period “was a confidence builder for us,” New Ulm (19-9) coach Kristin Faber said.

Early in the second period, however, Prowlers sophomore forward Kora Torkelson switched the good vibes to her team. She scored twice in a span of  1 minute, 35 seconds for a 2-0 lead.

Then teammate Emily Bergland, who assisted on both of Torkelson’s goals, added a goal of her own and the Prowlers took a 3-0 lead into second intermission.

“We weren’t pleased, but there was some relief,” Bergland said. “There was a different energy in the locker room. We knew if we kept pounding, we would get to them.”

Once No. 1 seed Thief River Falls found its offense, New Ulm was in trouble.

The Prowlers got a pair of second period goals from Kora Torkelson en route to a 5-1 victory in Wednesday’s Class 1A state tournament quarterfinal victory against New Ulm at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

The game remained scoreless after the first period despite the Prowlers’ 16-3 advantage in shots on goal.

Torkelson’s goals came less two minutes apart in the second period. Teammate Emily Bergland added a third goal in the period to give the Prowlers a cushion.

Thief River Falls outshot New Ulm 58-9 overall, setting a new record for shots on goal in a state tournament game.