In early February, the Grand Forks and Bismarck girls hockey teams went into the third period tied at 2. Just 10 minutes later, Bismarck led 7-2 as Maddy Gendreau finished off a hat trick and tallied six points.
So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Grand Forks coach Darin Schumacher had a short answer for his team's focus against Bismarck on Thursday in the first round of the North Dakota state tournament.
"No. 12," Schumacher said.
No. 12, Gendreau, is the state's second leading scorer with 33 goals and 24 assists.
"In my mind, she's the best player in the state," Schumacher said. "We have to figure out how to stop her."
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The KnightRiders, the No. 5 seed, face Bismarck, the No. 4 seed, at 2 p.m. Thursday in state quarterfinals at Ralph Engelstad Arena's Olympic rink.
Grand Forks will rely on junior goalie Ali Sondreal and top defenders seniors Megan Campbell and Julie Johnson.
"It's Megan's job to handle (Gendreau)," Schumacher said. "(Gendreau) can change the game fast. You have to know where she is at all times."
Shumacher said the KnightRiders' strength is its defense.
Sondreal, in her third season in net for Grand Forks, is allowing 2.54 goals per game and has a 90.4 save percentage.
"Defensively, we can hold our own," Schumacher said. "Ali does a really good job being in good position. She has real sound fundamentals. She doesn't give out a lot of rebounds."
Offensively, however, the KnightRiders have struggled of late. As a result, Grand Forks is 2-6 in its last eight games. The opposite is the case for Bismarck, which enters the state tournament on a nine-game winning streak.
"We've been playing hard," Schumacher said. "We're just not finding the back of the net. We're going to need to find ways to put the puck in the net."
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Sophomore forward Jaiden Hansen leads the KnightRiders offense. Hansen has 15 goals and six assists. Junior Jessica Lentz, who was named all-East Region last week, has 11 goals and nine assists. No other players have more than seven goals this season.
Schumacher said he's looking forward to playing on the REA's Olympic ice sheet, which is 15 feet wider than the standard size.
"I like our chances with Bismarck in the Olympic," Schumacher said. "It's easier to play team defense when the rink changes . . . and maybe it opens up some room for our forwards to put it in."
If you go
What: N.D. state girls hockey tournament.
When: Thursday-Saturday, various GF rinks.
Quarterfinals: No 1 West Fargo vs. No. 8 Williston, No. 4 Bismarck vs. No. 5 Grand Forks, No. 2 Fargo North vs. No. 7 Jamestown, No. 3 Fargo South vs. No. 6 Minot.
