That momentum lasted only about 10 seconds for the Mustangs. Warroad answered 1:41 later on a power play to tie the score with Marlie Johnston’s fourth goal of the season.

It was a bit of the same in the second period. Breck took a 2-1 lead at the 4:09 mark when eighth-grader Elly Klepinger’s point shot deflected in for her third goal of the season.

This time when Breck went on the penalty kill nine seconds later, it didn’t allow Warroad to tie it up again. Mobley added the dagger with a top-shelf slapshot at the 2:05 mark of the third period for the two-goal lead on her fifth goal of the tournament.

With about 7 minutes to play in regulation, Warroad put the puck in the net, which would have made it a 3-2 game. But the whistle had already blown the play dead after the initial save.

With 4:44 on the clock, Warroad was called for delay of game after the puck was loose in its crease. Officials awarded Breck a penalty shot, and Sadie Lindsay scored to make it a 4-1 lead. Warroad coach David Marvin was not happy.

“I thought it was rotten,” Marvin said. “…That whole turn of events.”

It turned into a momentum killer for Warroad. Breck added an empty-netter and then another goal to seal the victory.

Goaltender Uma Corniea (10-3-0) came up big again. She also made 40 saves Nov. 30 when the two teams faced each other in a 3-0 Warroad victory at Breck. She stopped 25 shots in last year’s state title game.

“No one does it alone,” Corniea said. “We’re a team. You have to have all six people play at their best to win games, and that’s what we did today.”

Like before, Breck went to the penalty kill 9 seconds later, but this time didn’t allow another Warroad goal. Shots on goal were fairly even in the second period, with Warroad having the slight edge at 15-12.

 “Last championship game, it kind of went both ways for a while,” Warroad coach David Marvin said before Saturday’s contest. “There’s going to be some good shifts for them and good shifts for us.”

Breck junior Olivia Mobley scored on a top-shelf slapshot at the 2:05 mark of the third period, giving the Mustangs a 3-1 with her fifth goal of the tournament.

Starting with a penalty shot from sophomore Sadie Lindsay later in the period, Breck scored a trio of goals in a 1:23 span (one empty-netter) for the 6-1 lead.

Eighth-grade goaltender Uma Corniea (10-3-0) earned the win with 41 saves. She started the semifinal game while senior goaltender Ally Frantzick (12-5-0) got the quarterfinal shutout. Corniea also made 40 saves Nov. 30 when the two teams faced each other in a 3-0 Warroad victory at Breck. She also stopped 25 shots in last year’s state title game.

“The reality is we have two outstanding goaltenders, and after a lot of discussion, we think that Uma is the right match-up for Warroad,” Persian said before the game. 

It was the first state title for co-head coaches Keith Radloff and Persian, who coached Orono last season and lost to Breck in the section final.

The last four years of the Class 1A tournament have had back-to-back champions, with Blake winning the Class 1A titles in 2016 and 2017 before moving up to Class 2A last season. The Mustangs defeated Warroad in last year’s championship by a 3-2 score when Sadie Lindsay scored just 8 seconds into overtime.  

Check back later for post-game comments on the game.