Centennial/Spring Lake Park was making its inevitable run late in the third period Thursday when Analee Holzer found herself with the puck on the right sideboards with nothing but ice between her and the goaltender.

The Cougars had just pulled within a goal with a power-play goal from Grace Laager, and Centennial/Spring Lake Park had momentum with just more than 6 minutes remaining in their Class 2A state hockey quarterfinal at Xcel Energy Center.

But rather than skate closer for what might have been a better look or angle, Holzer fired a wrist shot through the right circle that just sneaked past Mia Weiland and pushed the Irish lead to 3-1.

In a game that was otherwise decided at the crease, the senior forward’s shot was something of a surprise.

“Get pucks on net,” Holzer explained.

It was a smart move, and proved to be the difference in No.7 seed Rosemount’s 3-2 victory over the second-seeded Cougars.

“(Holzer) was telling me all game, ‘I don’t know why I’m going to my backhand. I can’t shoot the puck. Can’t do it,’ ” senior blue liner Sophie Stramel said. “I said, ‘Put it on your forehand and put it on the net. And look what she did.’”

Holzer scored twice, and sophomore goaltender Gianna Marchese stopped 33 shots the Irish (22-7-0) advanced to the semifinals for the first time in program history. They’ll meet the winner of the afternoon game between Andover and Hill-Murray on Friday at 6 p.m.

Stramel opened the scoring with a power-play goal early in the second period to put the Irish in the driver’s seat early. Centennial, which had beaten the Irish in the regular-season opener, 3-1, got two goals from Laager, the second with Weiland pulled for an extra attacker — with the Irish down to four players because of a holding penalty — with 38 seconds left.

The Cougars (26-3-0), making their second state tournament appearance, weren’t pleased with the way they started.

“I don’t think we really showed up,” Laager said. “The first period we were really nervous, and the second period we were down and it was more like, ‘Who’s gonna get a goal?’ and it wasn’t team hockey. We finally started playing team hockey, but it was too late.”

The Irish are making their third straight tournament appearance, and although they had won only one consolation game previously, they believe this is their year. Now, nearly everyone on the roster has played games at the X.“Unreal,” said Stramel, one of six Irish seniors making their third straight state tournament appearance. “We’ve been here three years now, working so hard. We knew it was going to be our year coming in here, and we just proved it to everybody.”

Holzer gave Rosemount a 2-0 lead with a power-play goal at 9:24 of the third period after snaring the rebound off a shot by teammate Zoe Juncker. Thirteen seconds later, she was called for hooking, and Laager scored on a rush to make 2-1 with 6:13 remaining.

But Holzer scored her game-winner with 2:21 remaining, and Marchese — excellent all game — stood tall to the end, especially during a tenacious Cougars forecheck that produced three scoring chances with about 3 minutes left.

Weiland stopped 19 shots for the Cougars

Late in the opening period, the Cougars drew a tripping penalty and appeared to make hay immediately when Mia Sutch swiped a shot on goal from the left circle. Marchese stopped it but wasn’t sure where the puck was, and an official at the back of the net called it a goal for Centennial/Spring Lake Park.

After a short review, it was determined the puck never crossed the goal line and the score remained 0-0 headed into the first intermission. Afterward, Cougars players acknowledged it was the right call.

“It wasn’t even close,” senior Teagan Kulenkamp said.

Instead, it was the Irish taking a 1-0 lead when Stramel, playing the point on a power play, took a pass in the high left circle and skated around a defender for a clean shot on net. Weiland appeared to stop the puck with her glove, but it was knocked out by Holzer and bounced clean into the slot. Stramel skated after it and potted the rebound to give Rosemount a 1-0 lead at 5:18.

Now, the Irish will play for a berth in Saturday’s final.

“I think it feels like more of an expectation now,” said senior Aubrey Hansen, who finished with two assists. “That first year (2023) we made (state) and were super excited for the experience, and making history for our community. But now we’re here to work, now we’re here to win.

“We’ve made it this far, and it’s our third year, so now we’re going to keep pushing.”