Unable to play Saturday in a state tournament quarterfinal after COVID-19 knocked out scheduled opponent Centennial, the Edina girls’ hockey team created a mini-tournament of its own.

The inaugural Lady Hornet 3v3 event helped players stay engaged through competition rather than repetition.

“I talked to my assistant coaches and said, ‘We can’t keep throwing regular practices and systems at them,’ ” coach Sami Reber said.

The four teams played in 12-minute games the width of the Braemar Arena ice. The championship game was seven minutes long and ended in a 2-0 victory for “Team Senior Citizens,” made up of Hannah Chorske, Brooke Greeley, Gwen and Lily Hendrikson, and Sarah Swann. They posed for a photograph with a miniature Stanley Cup-inspired trophy.

“It was good to see the girls laughing and smiling,” Reber said.

DAVID LA VAQUE

Alexandria shows well
For Alexandria, with 13 previous trips to the girls’ hockey state tournament, Saturday marked the first time it played in the Class 2A bracket. The Cardinals have played two seasons in Class 2A.

They didn’t choose to opt up like some other programs. It was “just the way that the numbers laid out” with enrollment, Alexandria coach Molly Arola said.

Alexandria, which nearly upset Minnetonka on Saturday, won a Class 1A state title in 2008 and most recently placed third in 2018.

HEATHER RULE

Players sidelined
Three Gentry Academy players missed the team’s first state tournament appearance Friday because of a COVID-19 quarantine stemming from a positive test of a family member, a school official said.

The top-seeded Stars, 4-1 victors over River Lakes in a Class 1A quarterfinal game, will play in the semifinals at 1 p.m. Thursday against Chisago Lakes.

DAVID LA VAQUE

Familiar semifinal foe
For the third consecutive year, Minnetonka will play in the Class 2A semifinals. It faces Edina, which received a bye when Centennial wasn’t able to play in the quarterfinals because of a positive COVID-19 test.

The Skippers have lost in heartbreaking fashion each of the past two years to the eventual champion. First it was a 2-1 loss to Edina in 2019 on a goal in the final minute of regulation. Last year, Minnetonka lost to Andover in overtime.

In two previous meetings this season, No. 2 seed Edina has defeated Minnetonka both times, 3-2 and 3-0. Both games were competitive, Minnetonka coach Tracy Cassano said.

HEATHER RULE