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Edina scores in second overtime to defeat Brainerd/Little Falls

By DAVID LA VAQUE, Star Tribune, 02/23/19, 10:00PM CST

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Senior Olivia Swaim's goal off a rebound gave the Hornets a 4-3 victory and their third consecutive Class 2A championship.


Edina celebrated its 2A championship victory against Brainerd/Little Falls. Photo: Aaron Lavinsky ¥ aaron.lavinsky@startribune.com

A milestone girls’ hockey state tournament was capped by one of the event’s greatest title games.

Edina outlasted Brainerd/Little Falls for a 4-3 victory in double overtime to claim the 25th tournament crown. Olivia Swaim scored on a rebound 2 minutes, 20 seconds into the fifth period after a shot from the point rebounded off stalwart Brainerd/Little Falls goaltender Olivia King.

Her fifth goal of the season, what Swaim called “the best thing I’ve ever experienced,” gave top-ranked Edina its only lead. The Hornets (27-4) became the second program to win three consecutive state championships, the latest by coming back three times against No. 3 seed Brainerd/Little Falls.

“It took a lot more heart for this one,” Edina coach Sami Reber said of the differences in the Hornets’ three championship game victories.

The Class 2A state championship game played Saturday night at Xcel Energy Center took 61:20, trailing only the 2012 Class 1A title game — a 3-2 Breck victory over South St. Paul — that lasted 69:55.

Brainerd/Little Falls (25-5-1) was the first northern Minnesota team since 2008 to reach the championship game, and senior forward Cheyenne Abear started fast. Her shorthanded breakaway goal at 1:48 of the first period gave the Warriors a 1-0 lead.

Undaunted, Edina scored on the same power play on junior defender Sophia Doll’s shot.


Brainerd /Little Falls defenseman Emma Booth (8) and Edina forward CC Bowlby (13) battled for the puck in the second period. Photo: Aaron Lavinsky ¥ aaron.lavinsky@startribune.com

First report

A milestone girls’ hockey state tournament was capped by one of the event’s greatest games.

Edina outlasted Brainerd/Little Falls by a 4-3 score in double-overtime to claim the 25th tournament crown. The Class 2A state championship game played Saturday at Xcel Energy Center was the second-longest, trailing only the 2012 Class 1A title game that lasted 69 minutes and 55 seconds.

Olivia Swaim scored the game-winning goal 1:20 into the second overtime.

Top-ranked and No. 1 seed Edina (27-4) became the first program to win three consecutive state championships since Minnetonka (2011-13).

No. 3 seed Brainerd (25-5-1) was the first northern Minnesota team since 2008 to reach the championship game.

On Friday, Minnetonka coach Eric Johnson, whose team played both Brainerd/Little Falls and Edina this season, predicted a lower-scoring game based on both team’s defensive efforts in the semifinals.

But the goals kept coming in the first period.

Girls' Hockey Hub Headlines

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  • By DAVID LA VAQUE, Star Tribune 02/26/2024, 8:15am CST
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