Burnsville's Brita Nelson (15) is congratulated by teammates after scoring on Eastview goalie Kaitlyn Pellicci, left, during the third period (Ann Heisenfelt, Special to the Star Tribune)
Burnsville defeated Eastview 7-4 to win the Class 2A, Section 3 championship Wednesday night at Veterans Memorial Community Center in Inver Grove Heights.
The Blaze (19-8-1) will make their first state appearance since 2010. They overcame a two-goal deficit after the first period and outscored Eastview (17-10-1) by five in the second and third periods.
“Being down, it was such an experience,” Burnsville senior Lindsey Coleman said. “And we knew we could bounce back right away, but it was awesome."
Coleman scored four goals, including the game-winner early in the third period. She also scored twice in the second period and added an empty-net goal with one minute remaining in the game.
Burnsville trailed Eastview 3-1 after one period, but the Blaze responded in the second. Coleman scored 1:18 into the period and senior Emma Wittchow added a power-play goal 5:56 into the period.
Eastview took a 4-3 lead on a power-play goal by senior Liz Palmi 10:45 into the second period. Coleman added her second goal with 33 seconds remaining in the period to tie the game at four. She put Burnsville up 5-4 just over a minute into the third period, and senior Briita Nelson scored with 3:03 remaining to give the Blaze a 6-4 lead.
Burnsville went 16-8-1 during the regular season, including 12-4 in the South Suburban Conference. It was 1-1 against Eastview during the regular season but lost its most recent meeting against the Lightning, 5-3, on Jan. 25.
“We feel good about how we’re playing right now,” Tracy Cassano said. “When we’ve got things rolling, we feel confident about our team."