After losing twice to Mounds View in the regular season, White Bear Lake coach Jerry Kwapick said he knew the Class 2A, Section 4 semifinal game with the Mustangs would come down to a single, scrappy goal.

Tied 1-1 in overtime, Bears’ sophomore forward Sydney Shearen netted that one gritty goal that advanced White Bear Lake to the Section 4 final and ended Mounds View season in a 2-1 decision.

“Mounds View is great team and we have battled them twice before,” Kwapick said. “We knew it would be some kind of 1-1 game, but our kids have a lot of persistence.”

The Bears determination was embodied by goalie Calla Frank, who stopped 30 Mustang shots in the win.

Despite being a sophomore, Frank kept White Bear Lake in a game that Mounds View carried much of the momentum in.

“She gives a chance to win every game and I knew she was in the zone,” Kwapick said. “She was ready for this game two weeks ago.”

The Bears scored first on a first-period rebound goal from junior Ashley Healy.

Healy positioned herself in front of the net and gathered Claudia Verkerke’s shot and pushed it past Mounds View goalie Teagen Johnson.

Mounds View would tie the game 1-1 on a Rachel Anderson power-play goal after both teams exchanged penalties throughout the period. 

In the second period, Lauren Jahnke skated toward the Bears' net with teammate Rachel Anderson wide left, and faked a pass before shooting her two-on-one opportunity.

Frank made the save and the Mustangs only real scoring chance of the period came up empty. 

Momentum continued to roll Mounds View’s way, and in the third period the Mustangs nearly scored two different times. One shot hit the post and Frank turned away the other. 

The Bears held on just long enough to force overtime and Shearen’s goal propelled White Bear Lake to a section final matchup with Hill-Murray at 7 p.m. on Friday.

“There is something to be said about trying to beat a team for the third time in a season,” Mounds View coach Aaron Moberg said. “But tonight was White Bear’s night, and that was a game of two goalies that made it tough for either team to score.”

White Bear Lake (17-10) defeated Mounds View 2-1 in overtime during the Class 2A, Section 4 semifinal at Aldrich Arena behind Sydney Shearen’s overtime winner.

Two minutes into the extra period, the puck deflected directly to Shearen in the slot and she buried it for the win.

The game’s first goal came from Bears’ junior forward Ashley Healy when she scored a rebound goal by outmuscling Mustangs’ defenders and beat Teagen Johnson on her left pad side.

Mounds View, ranked No. 14 in Class 2A by the state coaches' poll, responded with a power-play goal near the end of the first period from Rachel Anderson and the game remained tied 1-1 through the second and third period until Shearen ended the tie and the Mustangs’ season.

White Bear Lake's goalie Calla Frank stopped 31 shots in the overtime win.  

Johnson’s near shutout came on 20 shots faced.

The Mustangs (18-9) had defeated the No. 16-2A Bears twice this season, 1-0 and 4-2. But failed to get the third, and most important win.

White Bear Lake will play Hill-Murray at 7 p.m. Friday in the Section 4 final.