Proctor/Hermantown’s Sophie McGovern came off the ice after a 2-1 win against New Prague on Wednesday, and she made no secret about what was on her mind.

“We get to stay at the X,” McGovern told coach Glen Gilderman.

After netting two second-period goals to win the Class 1A quarterfinal, the Mirage advance to face Blake at 1 p.m. Friday at Xcel Energy Center.

McGovern scored the go-ahead goal and now gets the game against Blake she so desperately wanted.

McGovern, a senior, missed Proctor/Hermantown’s regular-season game against Blake when she had emergency surgery on a cyst near her stomach. The Bears won that game 1-0.

“I couldn’t be more fired up,” she said.

Despite New Prague’s loss, Catie Skaja provided the highlight of the night when she raced the length of the ice, weaving around defenders and finally firing into the upper right corner of the net for the game’s first score in the second period.

The Mirage (20-7-1) answered less than a minute later in the second period on a slapshot score from Reilly Albert.

Later in that second period, McGovern’s goal put the Mirage ahead, and though New Prague (17-10-1) applied pressure in the third period, that’s the way it stayed.

“In all honestly, I think our lack of experience [at the state tournament] got the best of us,” New Prague coach Andrea Peterson said. “Proctor was able to steal that momentum. … We felt it, but they got it back with that rebuttal goal.”

First Report

Same song, different score.

New Prague opened its season with a 3-1 loss to Proctor/Hermantown on Nov. 7. Wednesday in Xcel Energy Center, its pursuit of a state title ended in almost the same fashion.

Proctor/Hermantown got two second-period goals and held on in a tight third period to win the Class 1A girls’ hockey quarterfinal matchup 2-1 over the Trojans.

Despite the loss, New Prague’s Catie Skaja provided the highlight of the night when she raced down the length of the ice, weaving around defenders and finally firing into the upper right corner of the net for the game’s first score.

Proctor/Hermantown could have lost all momentum, but that’s not how it went.

The Mirage answered less than a minute later in the second period on a slapshot score from Reilly Albert. Later in that second period, Sophie McGovern scored on a quick wrist shot to give her team a 2-1 advantage.

Like that, Proctor/Hermantown was in control, and that’s the way it stayed. For New Prague, the loss put a damper on the school's first trip to the state tournament since 2008. The Mirage finished with a 29-10 shots advantage and moved on to face Blake in the semifinals Friday at 1 p.m.

This is the school's third time to play in the state tournament.


Photo gallery: Proctor/Hermantown 2, New Prague 1