Edina goaltender Maddie Dahl made the saves early in Friday’s semifinal game that kept her teammates in the game. Forward Sami Reber later put the Hornets ahead to stay.

Dahl made 26 saves — 11 in the first period — and Reber scored twice in the second period as No. 2 seed Edina beat Hill-Murray 2-0 and advanced to Saturday’s Class 2A state championship game. The Hornets finished runner-up last season.

Hill-Murray coach Bill Schafhauser said Edina’s higher seed and two previous victories this season against his Pioneers put all the pressure on the Hornets. For a period, he was right. Hill-Murray held an 11-4 shots-on-goal advantage. But no pucks got past Dahl.

“If we would have scored first I think it would have created a different energy,” Schafhauser said. “But that didn’t happen, and they slowly pulled away.”

Reber scored twice in the second period. Her first goal started on a pass from Sarah Nielsen, which Reber received at the faceoff dot to the right of Hill-Murray goaltender Ali McKeever. Reber turned and headed toward the net, putting the puck past McKeever.

Reber’s second goal came on a tremendous individual effort. She gathered the puck on the goal line, weaved and spun her way free, slid the puck through the legs of Pioneers skaters twice and flipped the rebound of her own shot into the net with 1 minute, 17 seconds remaining in the period.

Reber claimed she did not remember much about the play. Teammates who did simply added it to a growing highlight reel.

“She impresses me all the time,” Dahl said.

Dahl also impressed. One second-period sequence saw Dahl make rapid-fire saves on a shot from the Pioneers’ Bailey Link and a rebound try from Megan Pellino.

“Their goalie was awesome,” Pioneers’ forward Hannah Brandt said. “It’s hard to beat a hot goalie.”

Edina goaltender earned a 26-save shutout in Friday’s semifinal against Hill-Murray