Mirage, Hilltoppers Set to Clash in Section 7A Championship

The Proctor/Hermantown and Duluth Marshall girls hockey teams will meet in Virginia on Wednesday night.

DULUTH, Minn. – Wednesday night, the championship for Section 7A girls hockey will be decided in Virginia as Proctor/Hermantown faces off against Duluth Marshall.

For the Mirage, who are the defending section champions, one of the big questions going into this season was how the younger players would mesh with the girls who made it to the state semi–finals last season. And the team’s chemistry is one of their strong points going into Wednesday’s game.

“We are trying to make it the most relaxing time because it can get really overwhelming, sad and scary. But we said as long as you give 100% every shift, then you’ll have no regrets,” said senior forward Briahna Bryant.

“It’s really easy to almost get too hyped up and then not play very well during the beginning of the game. We have enough girls where the older girls can keep the younger ones focused. That’s a good thing. They’re excited. This is where you want to be. You want to be in the section final,” head coach Glen Gilderman said.

As for the Hilltoppers, they fell to the Mirage earlier this season in an overtime thriller. The team says they aren’t just happy to be here and are looking for their first section title in the program’s young history.

“Obviously state is the ultimate goal, but it’s nice to be able to keep playing for as long as possible. And to be successful in the playoffs is every team’s goal, especially in your senior season where you want to do well,” said senior forward Emily Lemker.

“It feels great because they’ve worked so hard all year. They’re the ones doing it. We’re here to help and guide them, but they’ve listened to everything we’ve tried to teach them. So seeing that come to fruition is really amazing,” said head coach Stephanie Erickson.

Puck drop for tomorrow night’s game is set for seven o’clock at the Miners Memorial Building in Virginia.