GRAND FORKS - Fargo North was the 900-pound bull, aggressive, angry and ready to mow over anything in its path. West Fargo was the seasoned rider holding onto the rope for dear life for a furious eight seconds.
Fargo North was the 900-pound bull, aggressive, angry and ready to mow over anything in its path. West Fargo was the seasoned rider holding onto the rope for dear life for a furious eight seconds.
It was the pivotal moment that helped the Spartans back to the championship after a one-year hiatus.
Senior forward Haley Olmstead scored a pair of goals eight seconds apart in the first period to propel North to a 4-1 victory against defending champion West Fargo during the finals of the North Dakota state girls hockey tournament today at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
"I have never scored two goals in eight seconds, man," Olmstead said. "... It was insane, I'm happy I did it. It definitely made the fire. Two goals in eight seconds: It was huge."
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North held a 1-0 lead on Emily Dahl's early power-play goal when Olmstead sent the Packers reeling.
Olmstead put the Spartans ahead 2-0 with a flip past West Fargo goaltender Andrea Klug at 9:58.
The public address announcer was still informing the crowd of the details when Olmstead intercepted a puck at center ice and beat Klug again for a 3-0 advantage.
The Packers were forced to take a timeout to regroup.
"You can't have breakdowns," West Fargo coach Pat Johnson said. "We had a game plan of how to do the right things with (Olmstead), we just didn't execute it. Every time we didn't execute it, she capitalized on it. And that's the kind of player she is."
