Grand Forks jumped out to an early lead and never looked back Thursday.
The fourth-seeded KnightRiders defeated Williston 5-0 during the quarterfinals of the North Dakota state girls hockey tournament at Ralph Engelstad Olympic Arena.
Senior center Lexi O’Halloran scored seven minutes, 25 seconds into the game and by the end of the first 17 minutes of play, the KnightRiders led 3-0.
“It was a total team effort,” Grand Forks head coach Darin Schumacher said. “The girls put the pedal to the metal and never slowed down.”
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With less than four minutes remaining in the first period, sophomore forward Bailee Enno scored two goals.
“Bailee has been playing well all year for us and we were waiting for her to have a break-out game like this,” Schumacher said. “Once she gets going, she is hard to stop. When she scored those goals the team relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the game.”
Grand Forks (13-11-0) advances to play top-seeded Bismarck in the semifinals at noon today at Ralph Engelstad Arena. Williston (14-10-0) plays Mandan at 5:30 p.m. in the consolation semifinals at Olympic Arena.
“When we score first, it lifts our spirits,” Enlow said. “I thought we worked well and came together as a team in this game.”
Tori Christian also scored a goal and added an assist for Grand Forks. O’Halloran finished with two goals for the Knightriders.
Junior goaltender Jerrica Rosendahl stopped 19 shots and earned her third shutout of the season.
The KnightRiders are 0-2 against Bismarck this season.
“We have to stay out of the penalty box, because that has killed us at times this season,” Enlow said. “We also have to stay calm.”
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