Graves leads Proctor-Hermantown past Warroad and into first state title game
Freshman scores two goals, including one in the final second of the first period as Mirage march on.
Hannah Graves (6) and Nya Sieger (4) both of Proctor-Hermantown celebrate after scoring a goal against Warroad with 0.6 seconds left in the first period during the girls hockey Class A state semifinal, April, 1, 2021 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Proctor-Hermantown defeated Warroad 3-1 to advance to the Class A state championship game Saturday. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.)
ST. PAUL — Proctor-Hermantown girls hockey player Hannah Graves saw an opportunity present itself Thursday in the Class A state semifinals, and she certainly wasn’t about to check the clock at Xcel Energy Center.
Graves didn’t need it. Her heart was already racing wildly, her mental clock ticking rapidly, her body keeping time with every movement to the puck.
Graves, a freshman forward, scored two goals — including one with 0.6 remaining in the first period — as the Mirage overcame an early 1-0 deficit to defeat Warroad 3-1 and advance to their first state title game in six tournament appearances.
“I knew that the time was running down, so I just had to pound it,” Graves said of her first goal, where she knocked in a rebound from teammate Nya Sieger. “There was literally no time to waste.”
There was no question the goal went in. That much was obvious. It was all about time, for the Mirage, sweet, precious time. The officials reviewed the play and the goal stood, as Graves predicted it would, her place in Mirage history cemented.
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“Yeah, that’s the biggest goal of my life, it really was,” she said. “It was the game-changer. It was the spark that let the fire go.”
After Graves’ goal knotted it 1-1 after one, the Mirage rode the tidal wave of momentum into the second period. Graves scored at 3:39 of the period with a 5-hole shot and senior Alyssa Watkins, after outmuscling the defense along the boards, took the puck in close and went top-shelf to bury a power-play goal — her sixth goal of the tournament — less than three minutes later.
That was more than enough cushion for junior goalie Abby Pajari, who had 31 saves for the third-seeded Mirage (20-0), who play top-seeded Gentry Academy (19-2) at 11 a.m. Saturday for the title.
“Abby was there when we needed her — she made a ton of saves, and we’re proud of her,” Mirage coach Emma Stauber said. “Warroad had opportunities … but it just comes down to those second and third saves that Abby can make. We really trust in her.”
Abbey Hardwick had the lone goal at 5:24 in the first period for second-seeded Warroad (20-2), which came in averaging six goals per game, while junior Kendra Nordick had 30 saves.
“That goal at the end of the first was a tough momentum swing, for sure,” Warriors coach David Marvin said. “I thought both goalies were good. Proctor-Hermantown defended really well, and we didn’t generate enough good scoring chances. Congrats to the Mirage and good luck Saturday.”
The Mirage don’t need luck but will certainly need to play well to beat Gentry Academy, of Vadnais Heights, Minnesota. With superior depth for a Class A team, Proctor-Hermantown has been strong in the second and third periods this season but will want to get off to a good start Saturday.
But if the Mirage need a spark, Graves hopes she can provide it.
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Graves was a prolific scorer at the younger levels, with “a lot” of hat tricks as she says, but she had to earn her way onto varsity, seeing spot duty with the Mirage’s fourth line last season.
This season, in her first year as a varsity regular, she is fifth on the team with 17 goals and 14 assists for 31 points.
“I was never really nervous down 1-0, but I I knew I had to do something to get our team moving, to get us in gear,” Graves said. “After that, we were all super excited. We were more motivated than ever to win that game.
“I’ve had a couple two-goal games on varsity but never a hat trick, so hopefully I can get one soon.”
Why not Saturday?
“Yeah, that’d be great,” Graves said, laughing.
Proctor-Hermantown 1-2-0—3 Warroad 1-2-0—0 First period — 1. W, Abbey Hardwick (Madison Lavergne), 5:24; 2. PH, Hannah Graves (Nya Sieger, McKenzie Gunderson), 16:59. Second period — 2. PH, Graves (Michaela Phinney, Sieger), 3:39; 3. PH, Alyssa Watkins (Kaydee High), 6:18 (pp). Third period — No scoring. Saves — Abby Pajari, PH, 31; Kendra Nordick, W, 20.
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1/19: Macy Sieger (17) watches as Alyssa Watkins (22) of Proctor-Hermantown scores a goal on Warroad goaltender Kendra Nordick (33) during the girls hockey Class A state semifinal, April, 1, 2021 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Proctor-Hermantown defeated Warroad 3-1 to advance to the Class A state championship game Saturday. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.)
2/19: Proctor-Hermantown players celebrate after defeating Warroad during the girls hockey Class A state semifinal, April, 1, 2021 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Proctor-Hermantown defeated Warroad 3-1 to advance to the Class A state championship game Saturday. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.)
3/19: Macy Sieger (4) of Proctor-Hermantown shoots the puck against Warroad goaltender Kendra Nordick (33) during the girls hockey Class A state semifinal, April, 1, 2021 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Proctor-Hermantown defeated Warroad 3-1 to advance to the Class A state championship game Saturday. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.)
4/19: Macy Sieger (4) of Proctor-Hermantown controls the puck against Calilah Lindquist (20) of Warroad during a girls hockey Class A state semifinal, April, 1, 2021 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Proctor-Hermantown defeated Warroad 3-1 to advance to the Class A state championship game Saturday. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.)
5/19: Izy Fairchild (25) of Proctor-Hermantown controls the puck near Karlie Meeker (9) of Warroad during a girls hockey Class A state semifinal, April, 1, 2021 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Proctor-Hermantown defeated Warroad 3-1 to advance to the Class A state championship game Saturday. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.)
6/19: Macy Sieger (4) of Proctor-Hermantown is checked into the boards by Karlie Meeker (9) of Warroad as Hannah Graves (6) of Proctor-Hermantown takes possession of the puck during a girls hockey Class A state semifinal, April, 1, 2021 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Proctor-Hermantown defeated Warroad 3-1 to advance to Class A state championship game Saturday. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.)
7/19: Proctor-Hermantown goaltender Abby Pajari (32) makes a save against Abbey Hardwick (10) of Warroad during a girls hockey Class A state semifinal, April, 1, 2021 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Proctor-Hermantown defeated Warroad 3-1 to advance to the Class A state championship game Saturday. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.)
8/19: Aurora Opsahl (18) of Proctor-Hermantown chases the puck between Reanna Smith (4) and Kaiya Sandy (15) both of Warroad during a girls hockey Class A state semifinal, April, 1, 2021 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Proctor-Hermantown defeated Warroad 3-1 to advance to the Class A state championship game Saturday. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.)
9/19: Hannah Graves (6) of Proctor-Hermantown celebrates a second-period goal against Warroad during a girls hockey Class A state semifinal, April, 1, 2021 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Proctor-Hermantown defeated Warroad 3-1 to advance to the Class A state championship game Saturday. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.)
10/19: Alyssa Watkins (22) of Proctor-Hermantown controls the puck against Warroad during a girls hockey Class A state semifinal, April, 1, 2021 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Proctor-Hermantown defeated Warroad 3-1 to advance to the Class A state championship game Saturday. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.)
11/19: Reese Heitzman (21) of Proctor-Hermantown shoots the puck on goal against Warroad goaltender Kendra Nordick (33) during a girls hockey Class A state semifinal, April, 1, 2021 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Proctor-Hermantown defeated Warroad 3-1 to advance to the Class A state championship game Saturday. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.)
12/19: Proctor-Hermantown players celebrate after defeating Warroad during a girls hockey Class A state semifinal, April, 1, 2021 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Proctor-Hermantown defeated Warroad 3-1 to advance to the Class A state championship game Saturday. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.)
13/19: Proctor-Hermantown players celebrate after defeating Warroad during a girls hockey Class A state semifinal, April, 1, 2021 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Proctor/Hermantown defeated Warroad 3-1 to advance to the Class A state championship game Saturday. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.)
14/19: Proctor-Hermantown players celebrate after defeating Warroad during a girls hockey Class A state semifinal, April, 1, 2021 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Proctor-Hermantown defeated Warroad 3-1 to advance to the Class A state championship game Saturday. (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.)
15/19: Warroad goalie Kendra Nordick (33) pulls the puck out of the goal as against Proctor/Hermantown celebrates a goal in the second period of the State Girls Hockey Tournament semifinals Thursday, April 1, 2021, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. (Jason Wachter / The Rink Live)
16/19: Proctor/Hermantown forward Macy Sieger (17) sends the puck past Warroad goalie Kendra Nordick (33) in the second period of the State Girls Hockey Tournament semifinals Thursday, April 1, 2021, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. (Jason Wachter / The Rink Live)
17/19: Warroad forward Maddien Lavergne (14) and Proctor/Hermantown forward Nya Sieger (4) battle for the puck in the second period of the State Girls Hockey Tournament semifinals Thursday, April 1, 2021, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. (Jason Wachter / The Rink Live)
18/19: Warroad forward Abbey Reule (12) takes a shot on Proctor/Hermantown goalie Abby Pajari (32) in the second period of the State Girls Hockey Tournament semifinals Thursday, April 1, 2021, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. (Jason Wachter / The Rink Live)
19/19: Warroad forward Kate Johnson (16) battles Proctor/Hermantown defenseman Sophie Parendo (19) and forward Nya Sieger (4) for the puck in the third period of the State Girls Hockey Tournament semifinals Thursday, April 1, 2021, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. (Jason Wachter / The Rink Live)
Jon Nowacki joined the News Tribune in August 1998 as a sports reporter. He grew up in Stephen, Minnesota, in the northwest corner of the state, where he was actively involved in school and sports and was a proud member of the Tigers’ 1992 state championship nine-man football team.
After graduating in 1993, Nowacki majored in print journalism at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, serving as editor of the college paper, “The Aquin,” and graduating with honors in December 1997. He worked with the Associated Press during the “tobacco trial” of 1998, leading to the industry’s historic $206 billion settlement, before moving to Duluth.
Nowacki started as a prep reporter for the News Tribune before moving onto the college ranks, with an emphasis on Minnesota Duluth football, including coverage of the Bulldogs’ NCAA Division II championships in 2008 and 2010.
Nowacki continues to focus on college sports while filling in as a backup on preps, especially at tournament time. He covers the Duluth Huskies baseball team and auto racing in the summer. When time allows, he also writes an offbeat and lighthearted food column entitled “The Taco Stand,” a reference to the “Taco Jon” nickname given to him by his older brother when he was a teenager that stuck with him through college. He has a teenage daughter, Emma.
Nowacki can be reached at jnowacki@duluthnews.com or (218) 380-7027. Follow him on Twitter @TacoJon1.
