“Honestly, just disbelief. I’ll be sad, then I’ll be like, ‘Wow, no, this isn’t real, is it?’ and then I’ll be sad again when I look at my teammates and I see how sad they are,” Marshall senior captain Abbey Foley said. “Then I’ll forget and pretend this isn’t real. And then I look at them again, and it makes me sad again.”

Luverne didn’t take its lead until late in the third period. While Marshall controlled the puck for most of the period, putting Luverne goalie Emma Saarloos under heavy pressure with a series of strong shots on goal during a series of power plays, the Cardinals broke the tie when Ella Apel scored the game-winner off an assist from Tenley Behr.

The goal, which came with 6:52 remaining in the game, followed another near-goal from the Cardinals three minutes prior. Luverne had a shot ring off the post and the goal judge lit the lamp, sending the Luverne crowd into a frenzy when the officials ruled it no goal.

Marshall called a timeout with two minutes left in the game to talk things over and try to force overtime. The Tigers got off a handful of strong looks at the goal from there, notably a breakaway from Brooklyn Mauch that Saarloos was able to get a glove on in time to freeze the puck. Marshall won the ensuing faceoff but wasn’t able to get off another look as Luverne held on for the win.

Marshall’s Lily Stelter (30) and Brooklyn Mauch (15) hug one another following the loss the Luverne in the Section 3A championship Tuesday night in St. Peter.

“My mind was just running. It’s really sad, I can’t believe it’s over, but I’m really proud of what we accomplished,” Marshall senior Avery Kesteloot said. “I can’t wait to come back and watch next year … [My teammates] are literally my second family. If I’m not at home, I’m with them all the time at school or just hanging out with them. I just love them so much and can’t believe it’s over.”

While Marshall had plenty of depth in terms of point scorers this season, the absence of forward Peyton DeMuth due to an injury didn’t make things any easier for the Tigers. DeMuth was Marshall’s second-leading goal scorer on the season, netting 25 goals with 25 assists in 26 games.

“I mean, the scoreboard shows it, right? Brianna Foley did a great job stepping up into that role, and then Avery [Kesteloot] there in the third,” Marshall head coach Cassi Weiss said. “They did everything that they could do, but unfortunately, it’s not Peyton. She was missed.”

Luverne now heads to the state tournament for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. Marshall’s win over the Cardinals in last year’s section final marked the only time since 2020 that a team other than Luverne advanced out of 3A.

Having been on the big stage each of the last two years, it didn’t take the Tigers long to adjust to the bright lights of Don Lund Arena. Less than two minutes in, Brooklyn Mauch came up with a takeaway in the neutral zone to get out onto the fastbreak. She beat the one defender standing between her and the goalie with a loose-puck deke and snapped a shot gloveside into the back of the net for a 1-0 Marshall lead.

The Marshall girls hockey team reacts at the final buzzer of Tuesday’s Section 3A championship following a 3-2 loss.

A hooking penalty put Marshall on the power play five minutes in, but the Cardinals got the first crack at the net with a fast break opportunity. Still, Lily Stelter stood tall in goal to prevent the shorthanded goal and Marshall outshot Luverne 3-0 for the rest of the power play, though none of the goals found the back of the net.

Just after the Cardinals finished killing off the power play, they went on the attack and Izzy Steensma hit Tenley Behr with the centering pass for the tying goal, knotting up the score at one goal apiece with nine minutes remaining in the first period.

Marshall finishes its season with a 25-2-0 record, capping off an impressive season. While the Tigers accomplished plenty on the ice, including another Big South Conference title, the legacy of this year’s team goes beyond the game.

“I think about how close of a team we are, and how much we all really loved each other,” Abbey Foley said. “We brought together not only our community, but the whole community of hockey. We’ve really brought up the girls hockey community, and the little 10U and 12U girls here. It’s really great to see how we’ve influenced them.”

Foley attributed that influence to the upperclassmen that helped mentor her and the other girls on the team when they were first getting involved with the sport.

The Marshall girls hockey team takes a photo together with their Section 3A runners-up trophy after the section championship Tuesday night against Luverne in St. Peter.

“They taught us to be great leaders. All of my past leaders have taught all of us, and then just learning to be best friends with our teammates has allowed us to get so far and not take any practices for granted,” Foley said.

Weiss emphasized that the bond the players have off the ice translates to their chemistry on the ice and it shows with how the team plays.

Luverne got on the power play again early in the second period, but the Marshall penalty kill once again locked in to limit the Cardinals to a single shot. The Tigers road that momentum to a go-ahead goal, with Abbey Foley setting up Mauch just outside the crease for another gloveside wrist shot to put Marshall on top 2-1 five minutes into the frame.

As the period progressed, however, Luverne continued to build confidence in the offensive zone. The Cardinals outshot Marshall 11-5 in the period, culminating in Rylee Kurtz sending in the tying goal with two minutes remaining in the period.

The Cardinals had the opportunity to take the lead in the final minutes of the second when they were awarded a penalty shot. Yet, Stelter again came up with a clutch save in goal, knocking the puck away with the waffle board to keep the game tied at two goals apiece.

Stelter finished the day saving 21 of the 24 shots she faced in goal. She put together a .926 save rate on the season and a 1.38 goals against average for the year.

Ava Kolander was called for a tripping minor with three minutes left in the first period, though Marshall limited Luverne to two shots on the power play. The call came just moments after a non-call when Brielle Felton Krog nearly had a fast break opportunity, but a Luverne defender fell down and grabbed onto Felton Krog’s leg to prevent her from getting to the puck.

Marshall finished the day with 26 shots on goal, but a strong performance in goal from Saarloos limited them to just a pair of goals despite the shots largely coming from close range or with a screen.

After netting a pair of goals in Tuesday’s loss, Mauch finishes her junior season with a state-leading 73 goals and 106 points. No other player in the state of Minnesota has more than 45 goals or 67 points, with Luverne’s Ellie Van Batavia being tied for second in points. Foley also ends her season as the state leader in assists with 40.

Marshall will return the majority of its roster next season, with Kesteloot and Foley as the team’s lone seniors.