Hill-Murray outlasts Huskies to advance at state

CLASS 2A STATE QUARTERFINAL: HILL-MURRAY 5, ANDOVER 3

Pohl’s hat trick propels Pioneers into state semifinals

Hill-Murray’s Taylin Engelhardt shouts encouragement in the final seconds of Thursday’s Class 2A quarterfinal game vs. Andover at the State Girls Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center in in St. Paul. Hill-Murray won 5-3. CRAIG LASSIG — SPECIAL TO THE PIONEER PRESS

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By John Shipley

jshipley@pioneerpress.com

Emily Pohl scored a hat trick, and Andover never quite recovered from an early Hill-Murray blitz, as the Pioneers held the Huskies, 5-3, Thursday in a quarterfinal battle of heavyweight programs in the girls Class AA state hockey tournament.

Emily and her sister Anna Pohl scored goals 1 minute, 9 seconds apart in the first period to give Hill-Murray (23-6-0) a 3-0 lead, and Piper Tam stopped 21 shots as the Pioneers advanced to a Friday semifinal against Rosemount (22-7-0).

Hill-Murray coach John Pohl said it was the sixth time in two years the programs had played; they split a pair this season, with Andover winning 5-2 and the Pioneers winning 2-1.

Hill-Murray, a two-time state champion and runner-up last season, was making its 10th state tournament appearance. Andover, the 2022 state champ and runner-up 2023, was making its eighth appearance.

“Andover is a first-class program,” Pohl said. “They have a bunch of state champions on that team, they have an incredible senior class. … So, for us to win is a huge boost for us. We have a ton of respect for them.”

Julia Gerdes scored with 24 seconds left in the first period to get Andover on the board, but it looked as if Hill-Murray would run away with it when, after a scoreless second period, Emily Pohl scored on a breakaway 3:03 into the third for a 4-1 lead.

Instead, the Huskies roared back.

Maya Engler scored on a one-timer off a pass from the corner by Hannah Olson to make it 4-2 at 7:36, and Hannah Christenseon tapped in a rebound at 12:04 to get the Huskies right back into it.

Andover pulled goaltender Clairebella Hills for an extra attacker with 1:35 left, but Emily Pohl scored again, skating through leaping defenders to score a wrap-around empty-netter with 1:05 remaining to seal the victory.

“She just never gives up, even in practice,” senior blue liner Kasey Scenden said of Emily. “Going against her is cool because she never gives up and you know it’s always going to be a battle. That was a great goal for her; I’m really happy she got it. No one deserves it more. She was really good.”

It was the 39th goal of the season for the sophomore, daughter of John Pohl and women’s hockey pioneer Krissy Wendell. Anna is an eight-grader, as is Tam.

While the Huskies (19-9-1) made it a game tight in the end, they lamented the start that had them chasing after less than 7 minutes had elapsed, when Ellianna Englehardt scored a power-play goal at 10:15.

“I think it was a shock to us, for sure,” said Andover’s Maya Engler, who scored on a one-timer off a pass from the corner by Hannah Olson to make it 4-2 at 7:36 in the third period.

Hannah Christenseon then tapped in a rebound at 12:04 to get the Huskies right back into it at 4-3 before Emily Pohl sealed it with what her father acknowledged was “a pretty incredible goal.”

It was deflating for the Huskies, who had their sights on another championship.

“I thought we’ve had our struggles through the season, but a lot of times that’s what makes you strong and gives you that special something,” Huskies coach Melissa Volk said. “Unfortunately, we just came out flat today.”