Without its top scorer in senior Sophie McGovern, Proctor/Hermantown knew it had to play a tight game with a Blake team that has averaged nearly five goals per game this season.
The Mirage focused their defensive efforts on shutting down Bears' senior Carly Bullock, who was second in the state with 17 goals through nine games entering Friday's game.
“We knew without Sophie, we’re going to have to play some really solid D and these girls did a nice job with that,” Proctor/Hermantown coach Glen Gilderman said.
The Mirage did just that, limiting Bullock to her first game without a point this season.
But for Blake, it was sophomore CC Wallin who rose to the occasion and tapped home a pass from freshman Izzy Daniel early in the second period, lifting the Bears (8-1-1) to a 1-0 win over the Mirage (5-4-1) Friday night at the Blake School Ice Arena in Hopkins.
“The defender tried to flip (the puck) over Izzy but she took it to the chest,” Wallin said. “I was in front of the net and she gave me a perfect pass and I just slid it past the goalie.”
Wallin played limited time on varsity last season but under the direction of her older sister Sylvie, who starts on defense, CC is proving herself on the Bears’ roster.
“(Sylvie) has an intimidating demeanor but it’s really helped my progress getting more varsity time this year,” Wallin said.
The pressure from her older sibling produced results as Wallin scored the first game-winner of her career in a defensive battle with the Mirage.
“CC’s line did a tremendous job bringing pressure in the offensive zone,” Blake coach Shawn Reid said. “They (Proctor/Hermantown) played extremely well bottling us up everywhere."
As the top-ranked team in the Class 1A coaches’ poll all season, the Bears have had a target on their back while riding a dominant string of games following a 2-2 tie with No. 5-2A Eden Prairie on Nov. 20.
Outscoring their past five opponents 30-4, Blake hasn't needed to perform under pressure since facing the Eagles.
Freshman goalkeeper Olivia Bizal has started between the pipes for Blake in four of those games and registered three shutouts, including her second in a row against the No. 7-1A Mirage Friday night.
A transfer from Hopkins last season, where she notched a shutout as an 8th grader, Bizal was already well-equipped to play in a defensive gridlock.
“They're (Mirage) definitely a good team,” Bizal said. “It’s hard when it’s a close game. You have to stay mentally prepared the whole time.”
Bizal has stopped 60 of 61 shots in the Bears' current five-game win streak and has given up only one other goal this season, boasting a state leading .973 save average in five wins.
Blake will host Duluth Saturday and Bizal will get the start in net again, but she says her play is reliant on how the rest of her team performs in front of her.
“The team has been playing well in front of me and I couldn’t be putting up these performances without them," Bizal said.
Proctor/Hermantown forward Callie Hoff wins the face-off in a 1-0 loss to the Blake Bears. Photo by Rick Orndorf
First Report
Sophomore C.C. Wallin scored the lone goal in Blake’s 1-0 shutout of Proctor/Hermantown Friday night at the Blake School Ice Arena.
Ranked No. 1 in the Class 1A coaches’ poll, the Bears (8-1-1), outshot the No. 7-1A Mirage 23-10, including 18-5 over the final two periods.
Wallin’s goal came in the third minute of the second period. Freshman Izzy Daniel blocked a breakout attempt in the neutral zone and zipped a pass across the slot to Wallin, who tapped the puck in past Mirage goaltender Amy Lemenager.
Proctor/Hermantown (5-4-1) managed only 10 shots on the Bears' freshman goalkeeper Olivia Bizal, who notched her third shutout this season.
Lemenager made 21 saves in the loss.
