Photo by Sam Thiel Members of the Marshall girls hockey team celebrate after defeating Mankato West 2-1 Tuesday to advance to the Class A state tournament.

ST. PETER – When Rachel VanKeulen had control of the puck behind the net during overtime of the Section 3A championship game against Mankato West, she was just trying to find an open teammate. Instead, she found an open lane to the back of the net.

VanKeulen’s wraparound attempt just 1:53 into the extra session snuck past the pad of Scarlets goaltender Sarah Olsen, giving the Marshall girls hockey team a 2-1 victory and sending the Tigers to their third state tournament and first since 2008.

“I was kind of surprised that it worked and went in; I was just trying to get the puck in front of the net and have someone score, but when it went in, I was super excited and didn’t really recognize what was going on,” she said. “When everyone started hugging me, I just started crying and I was just so excited for our team and that we got this opportunity together.”

The senior’s goal capped off a back-and-forth affair between the two teams, as game saw just three combined goals and under 45 shot attempts altogether.

Marshall coach Deanna Suby is proud of the way her team has fought all season long, and was pleased with their willingness to go after each and every puck.

“The girls have worked so hard for it and they were determined with what they wanted to accomplish,” Suby said. “They battled back and forth, and it just became about who won those tiny little battles. Mankato West came out with a lot of strength and so did our girls.”

The Tigers were aggressive right out of the gate, as Marshall spent the majority of the first period in Mankato West’s zone. Both sides were able to produce a number of quality scoring chances throughout the opening frame, but neither team could sneak a shot in the back of the net. The Tigers outshot the Scarlets 9-4 in the first period, but the score remained deadlocked at zeros after one.

The aggressiveness only continued for Marshall to start the second period, with the Tigers again finding an array of scoring opportunities throughout the frame. Marshall and Mankato West kept the pace cranked up all the way the entire period, but again neither side could connect a shot with the back of the net. The Tigers continued to outshoot the Scarlets in the game, as Marshall led in shots on goal at 20-10 after two. Marshall made its defensive presence felt even more in the second than its opening counterpart, as the Tigers flew around the ice knocking away loose pucks and making game-saving stops thanks to goaltender Emma Klenken.

Despite all of these factors, the Tigers struggled to capitalize on their offensive chances, and both teams headed into the second intermission still knotted at zeros.

The third period began as more of a defensive performance, with neither team able to produce many shots on goal. Then with under eight to play, and after the game hadn’t seen any infractions, a tripping penalty was called on the Scarlets, giving Marshall its first power play opportunity of the night.

Mankato West was quick to kill most of the penalty, but with 0:17 left in the power play, the Tigers were able to capitalize on a Sydney Mauch shot, putting Marshall up 1-0 with just 5:16 left to play. The Scarlets answered right back, however, as Mankato West quickly skated down the ice and found the back of the net itself to tie things back up at 1-1 and quiet the Tiger crowd.

Both teams would then have multiple chances to find the go-ahead score, but this time neither side could capitalize, and the game went into an extra session, setting the stage for the thrilling finish.

Marshall outshot the Scarlets 28-15 on the game. Klenken earned the victory in net, stopping 14 shots.

Suby said offensively, their key was to come out aggressively and be aware of their surroundings on the ice when looking for the open teammate.

“I think just knowing our positions and knowing where everyone was and having that confidence that they were in the right positions and backing each other up at the right times,” Suby said.

VanKeulen added on defense they were making sure Mankato West wasn’t getting out in front or finding shots towards the middle of the ice.

“We were trying to eliminate any breakaways or rushes down the ice and keep them to the outside so they didn’t have any good shot opportunities,” VanKeulen said.

The state tournament will be held at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul next week starting on Feb. 21. The last time the Tigers reached the state tournament, Suby was an assistant on the team. Now, she’s back leading the charge, but knows it’ll be a unique experience once again.

“I was with the girls 10 years ago, so that’s pretty cool,” Suby said.

“We’re just trying to take it all in. When we went there 10 years ago, it was just kind of an in awe experience. So just being able to get there and adjust to everything and know that they’re here for a job and to play a game but at the same time, they’re really blessed to have this opportunity.”