Fargo North won 4-0. Or was it 3-0?
No, it was 4-0.
The oddly eventful lopsided victory over Fargo South, which included a crucial disallowed goal that was reinstated minutes later, lifted the Spartans into the final of the North Dakota state girls hockey tournament Friday at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
"I didn't think they could look back at goals," said Haley Olmstead, a Fargo North senior who was credited with an early second-period goal after it was initially disallowed. "I didn't think we were going to get it until (coach) Dougherty called the ref over. I think that was a huge goal."
Here's how the play unfolded:
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Olmstead appeared to beat South goaltender Katie Buchholz top shelf with a blast from the top of the left circle. A soft thud could be heard before the puck ricocheted back onto the ice.
North celebrated. South stopped in its tracks. However, the referee waved off the goal and the stunned players resumed the game.
"I knew it was in because I saw it hit the goalie's water bottle (on top of the net)," Olmstead said. "There is no way it can hit a pipe and have the water bottle jump. ... The nets are a little tight here at The Ralph, so it just popped right back out and they figured it hit a pipe."
The game went on for about two minutes before the next whistle. North coach Kris Dougherty called the referee over to ask him to re-evaluate the disallowed goal.
After talking to goal judge Dennis Gustafson, the officials put the goal on the board to give North a 2-0 lead.
The stunned Bruins never recovered.
"We think we dodge a bullet there," South coach Josh Rogers said. "From my angle, it was close. I respect the refs for going back and looking at it, but mentally as a team it takes its toll -- especially when we weren't playing our best game already."
Olmstead gave the Spartans a 1-0 lead at 13:15 of the first period. Her second goal was credited at 29 seconds of the second period.
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North added two more goals in the second and withstood a third-period Bruins barrage to come away with the win.
South had several late scoring chances, including a 5-on-3 opportunity with six minutes left that came up empty.
Spartans goaltender Chelsey Sitzmann finished with 19 saves. South goaltender Katie Buchholz stopped 18 shots.
"We kept going after it," Dougherty said. "... We did a good job coming back to our net, clearing some rebounds and not allowing those third and fifth shots. We worked hard the entire time, and that's really what it's all about."
Hotzler is a reporter for The Forum which is owned by Forum Communications Co.
