In the second period of South St. Paul’s 5-2 victory Wednesday, just after Hutchinson had responded to the Packers’ five-goal first period with two of its own, the Tigers nearly had a third. On a breakaway, a Hutchinson player flung a hard shot at Packers goalie Katie Felton, who left the rebound lingering in front of open net. But defenseman Sam LaShomb snuck in at the last second and knocked the puck to safety. After the game, South St. Paul coach Dave Palmquist reflected on the game-changing moment that play could have been.

“It was huge,” he said. “I saw the frustration on Mitch’s face [Tigers coach Mitch Fabel], because that goal could have changed everything. Little parts of the game make such a big difference, and we were able to get that lucky bounce when we needed it.”

Happy ending

As the minutes on the clock ticked down next to the 12-0 score, there’s no doubt New Ulm’s previous shutout to the same team in the same game last year was on the minds of the Eagles. But with five seconds left, and Breck backup goalie Jane Mesna in to finish the game, the Eagles’ Alexa Weiss found the net and the team fell into a celebratory pile on the ice.

“It was the first time we had scored at the Xcel Energy Center,” New Ulm coach Angela Zeig said. “It was a good way to end it, to move on.”

Fancy feet

Forward Sara Carlson was one bright spot for Hutchinson in a 5-2 loss to South St. Paul.

With 69 seconds left in the second period, Carlson followed up an earlier goal — which she had tipped between the posts with the end of her stick as she was falling down — with another score using some nifty footwork to block a defender, change direction at the last minute, and fire a shot into the net.

“She’s a pretty dynamic player, she thrives on stuff like that,” Fabel said. “She keeps coming up with different things that even us coaches are just like, ‘Wow.’”

No cold comfort

With a day off in between Wednesday’s 7-0 quarterfinal victory and Friday’s semifinal, Warroad will skate Thursday at the Charles M. Schulz Arena in St. Paul’s Highland neighborhood.

Coach David Marvin joked that he is not convinced the arena, one of the coldest around, will offer the proper environment.

“It doesn’t prepare you for how warm it is here,” Marvin said of Xcel Energy Center.

Marvin said practice will cause his team to miss watching Thursday’s first two Class 2A quarterfinal games, but the Warriors plan to attend the two evening games.

“I don’t know, though, because the day moves pretty quick with all the traffic down here,” Marvin said. “It’s not like at home.”