THIEF RIVER FALLS -- Demi and Mariah Gardner didn't talk a lot the last few days about the possibility of facing their final game together as high school teammates. But the idea was there.
"We were thinking about it,'' Demi Gardner said. "It was tough. We didn't talk about it much. But neither of us wanted to be back home not skating next week.''
The two extended their time as teammates by a week here Thursday. They provided all the goals as Warroad defeated Thief River Falls 3-1 in the championship game of the Minnesota Section 8A girls high school hockey tournament.
The Warriors take a 23-3-1 record to state. Thief River Falls, the defending section and state champion, closed with a 20-6-1 mark.
"We've leaned on Mariah and Demi all year. Why wouldn't we tonight,'' Warroad coach David Marvin said. "Tonight it was Demi's turn to step up.''
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After a scoreless first period, Warroad took advantage of the only penalty of the first two periods to take a 1-0 lead. And the penalty was on the Warriors.
On a turnover in the Prowlers' zone, junior Mariah Gardner picked up the loose puck and buried a shot from the slot for a shorthanded goal and a 1-0 Warroad lead at 5:20 of the second.
"To get the first goal, and for it to be shorthanded, I thought that was huge,'' Marvin said. "You want to be playing with the lead in a game like this.''
The Warriors made it 2-0 on senior Demi Gardner's goal from right above the goal line at 9:20 of the second. The Prowlers pulled within 2-1 when, catching Warroad on a line change, Briana Jorde got the pucked, skated in on the right side and scored on a 3-on-2 break with 12:39 left in the second.
It stayed 2-1 until, at 9:39 of the third period, Mariah Gardner fed her sister from the circle and Demi slapped in the shot from the slot.
"She always seems to find me when I'm open,'' Demi Gardner said. "Getting up that one extra goal, I think it gave us energy to finish it off.''
Prowlers coach Whitney Restemayer said she thought her team picked up some momentum after Jorde's score.
"But Warroad picked up its defense,'' Restemayer said. "We played well. They didn't get a ton of shots. To hold them to 16 shots, we played well in our defensive zone. But they capitalized.''
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The Prowlers' Mariah Nelson had 12 saves. Warroad junior Emma Brunelle had 25 saves. In the first period, she stopped TRF on a breakaway, kicked out a shot for another tough save and stopped a point-blank attempt from in front of the net.
"They had better chances in the first,'' Marvin said. "We were fortunate to be going in 0-0 (after one period). We were fortunate Emma stopped them. She's been solid all year. This was one of her best games.''
Warroad will be making its first trip to the state tournament since 2013.
