To best understand Paige Haley's development from her freshman to sophomore season, just consider how she evaluated her performance in a 6-3 victory over Faribault.

"I thought I played well," Haley said after Tuesday's game. "It's been awhile since I've had a rough game so I just kind of feel like I normally do."

Normal for Haley has come to mean scoring in droves and blanketing opposing forwards. She tallied two goals and assisted on three more to help Red Wing avenge its upset overtime loss to the Falcons in the Section 1A finals a year ago.

Freshman Nicole Schammel added three goals against the Falcons.

"At times we looked a lot more skilled than them," said Scott Haley, Red Wing's coach and Paige's dad. "Obviously (Haley and Schammel) just seem like they can control the possession of the puck a lot better than their kids could. That's something I didn't really see last year in the section final. Just a year older on those two makes a heck of a difference."

Haley's progress stems from hard work and high-level competition in the offseason. Haley and her younger sister Reagan, an eighth-grade forward, ran hills and worked out together during the summer.

"I've chosen to take hockey as what I want to do when I'm older," Haley said. "I want to play college hockey like Rose (Alleva). I watched all the work she's had to do and I've worked so hard this summer."

Like Alleva, a Red Wing graduate in her freshman season at Princeton, Haley advanced to the USA Hockey National Girls Select (Advanced) 15 Development Camp. The 2010 installment was held in Rochester, New York, in July.

Haley, who has grown four inches since last season, said she learned to play hockey at a faster pace by competing against some of the best girls in the country her age.

That was evident in how she matched up against Megan Bergland, Faribault's senior center. Bergland scored Faribault's first two goals and assisted on the other two in the last year's section final.

After the loss, Haley called Bergland "the fastest hockey player I've ever played against." When reminded of the comment Tuesday, Haley let out a small chuckle at her own naivete.

"I could keep up with her just fine, " Haley said after the win.

Bergland was limited to a goal and an assist on 10 shots in the rematch.

While Haley served as a defenseman outside of the high school program, she didn't play along the blue line for the Wingers until this season. She made the switch upon Alleva's graduation, but it took Haley time to acclimate to the new role.

Haley was accustomed to being a stay-at-home defenseman, but Red Wing needed her to score goals and generate opportunities for others in the Alleva mold.

"I really struggled at it in the beginning of the year because my dad was trying to put me out there a little bit more than I probably should have at the beginning," Haley said. "I got really tired and I wore myself out so I couldn't play as well."

Haley has learned with time to pick her spots. She said she doesn't look to rush the puck when an opposing team's first line is on the ice or when Red Wing's top line is out.

It didn't take Haley long to seize an opportunity against Faribault. Haley got the Wingers on the board on her second shift, beating goalie Hananh Seitz at 1:56 of the first period. She carried the puck into the Falcons' zone and scored again at 4:38 of the same period to put the Wingers up 2-0.

"All the nerves went away after that first goal," Schammel said. "And it really pumped us up and got the momentum going."