Orono and Hibbing/Chisholm are advancing in the Class A boys state hockey tournament after victories in quarterfinal play on Wednesday.
Orono 8, Northfield 2
Ethan Pagel, Trey Landa and Rory Kvern all scored twice as the No. 6 seeded delivered the first upset of the tournament, knocking off the third-seeded Raiders.
It was 2-0 Orono after the first period, but Griffin Kennelly got Northfield on the board 33 seconds into the second stanza to cut Northfield’s deficit in half. But the next three goals belonged to Orono, the last of which came from Kvern to extend Orono’s lead to 5-1.
Orono (16-10-3) has now beaten Northfield (22-5-2) in three straight Class A state tournaments. The Spartans were victorious in the quarterfinals in 2023 and the consolation final last season.
Orono goalie Evan Schmidt stopped 19 of the 21 shots he faced. The Spartans will meet St. Cloud Cathedral in the state semifinals at 11 a.m. Friday.
Hibbing/Chisholm 7, Luverne 0
Even making its first state tournament appearance since 2011, Hibbing/Chisholm sure looked to be right at home Wednesday night in St. Paul.
Six different players scored for the top-seeded Bluejackets on Wednesday.
Bluejackets’ star forward Tate Swanson tallied a pair of goals and an assist, while Rex Walli and Gavin Lamphere combined for a 21-save shutout between the pipes.
The Bluejackets (21-9) will play the winner of the Northern Lakes/East Grand Forks quarterfinal in Friday’s 1 p.m. semifinal back at the X.
Eighth-seeded Luverne (22-6-2) was making its fourth tournament appearance.
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