Breck Girls Hockey Tops Blake, Win Section Crown

 The lyrics to “No Air” was heard even over the sound of the zamboni Thursday night as the Breck girls hockey team fired it up in the Mustangs' tunnel during the second intermission at the Parade Ice Garden.   

According to co-captain Kayla Mork, it's a motivational tool. But with 17 minutes left and holding a three-goal lead over rival Blake, it was the prize of victory that gave this melody its extra spark.

A state tournament berth was on the line, and Breck snatched it.

The Mustangs stole a 5-1 win from the Bears in Thursday’s Section 5A championship game at the Parade Ice Garden in Minneapolis. The win earned Breck a spot in next week’s Class A state tournament, which begins Wednesday at the Xcel Energy Center.

It was the fourth straight year the two teams met in the section final, and it was the Mustangs’ third win in that span. No question, these two teams know one another very well.

“A lot of these girls are friends off the ice,” Breck coach Lenny Vannelli said. “They’ve grown up together. But they made a decision that you go there, and I’ll go here.”

So what separated the two teams Thursday? Vannelli said it was short shifts.

The Mustangs (16-11-1) went stride for stride with the Bears throughout the first period, and the two teams were tied 1-1 after the first thanks to goals by Blake’s Abbie Lund and Breck’s Mork. 

But in the second, the momentum began shifting toward Breck one shift at a time.

Still tied at the 8:21 mark of the second period, Breck’s Milica McMillen picked up a loose puck near the neutral zone and took it all the way to the Bears’ net. She beat Blake goalie Chloe Billadeau for the eventual game winner.

Breck didn’t stop there.

Mork notched her second goal of the game less than three minutes later, and when Karina Marette made it 4-1 at the 13:47 mark, the game began to look out of reach.

That’s when the Mustangs’ confident chorus began.

“I think our goal for us tonight was to take it one shift at a time and leave everything on the ice,” Mork said. “We faced some struggles this year, and we didn’t want that to bother us.”

Katherine Schipper ended all scoring with a third-period goal that gave the Mustangs their 5-1 lead. 

In net, Breck goalie Taylor Neisen stopped 30 of the 31 shots she faced. After giving up a goal three minutes into the first, she put together 48 minutes of shutout hockey to backstop the victory.

Blake (18-5-4) held the top seed in section play, but on this night in Minneapolis the Bears looked on as Breck snatched the championship plaque.

It was the Mustangs’ night.

“We’re really excited,” Mork said. “We’ve got a little work in front of us, but I think we’re ready. We peaked at the right time.”

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