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Schools

Lady Mustangs Celebrate State Tournament Win

The Mustangs are still reeling from their state tournament win on Saturday.

At the beginning of the year the girls hockey team at Breck set a goal: win the state tournament. The private school had been to the tourney before, landing in second and third place, never able to clench first, until last weekend.

In a , the Breck girls skated to a 3-2 win over South St. Paul on Saturday afternoon.

“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Coach Chris Peterson said. “The girls had to skate hard, work under pressure and play as a team.”

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The game turned into a nail-biter towards the end, Peterson recalled. With five minutes left in the game the referee waved off a Mustang goal, saying the puck didn’t cross the goal line. The goal would have put the team up 3 to 1. Then, seconds later, South St. Paul knocked one between the posts to tie the game at 2 to 2.

“Being tied in the championship with little time left in the game was intense,” Senior Carly Schaeder said. “We had to keep fighting and forget about our goal being called off.”

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Schaeder said the team regrouped and was thrilled when Leah Schwartzman scored the game-winning goal in the second period of overtime.

“When I saw Leah’s goal go in the net I was ecstatic,” Schaeder said.

“We were freaking out on the bench and rushed out there. I was so happy that our work had finally paid off and also relieved the game was over because we were all exhausted.”

For the coach, “It was surreal. A lot of things could have derailed our game, but the girls fought hard and stayed focused,” Peterson said. “I’m really proud of all the work they’ve done this year.”

It’s the first time the Breck girl’s hockey team has taken first in the state tournament, an accomplishment Peterson says the girls should be proud of.

“It’s not everyday a team sets a goal to win a state tournament and actually does it,” he said. “They have left their mark on the program, that’s for sure. They should be very proud of their season.”

Check out a from the game.

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