Proctor-Hermantown found inspiration in two of its seniors on Wednesday night. 

First, there was Ashley Hanson and her return to the ice after being hit with a puck and sitting out for nearly a full period.

“I think it was super important that one of our players that had been hurt came out for her first shift (since the injury),” Proctor-Hermantown head coach Glen Gilderman said after the game. “It electrified the bench.”

That jolt of energy helped propel the No. 4 seed Mirage (19-7-3) to a 3-2 win in overtime over Rochester Lourdes, thanks to a game-winning goal from a player that was scrapping to make the varsity team two seasons ago. 

Kaitlyn Fawcett floated a wrist shot past Rochester Lourdes goaltender Corrin Hanson to send the Mirage to the semifinals, netting the biggest goal of her career and living up to the captaincy bestowed upon her. 

Fawcett said that part of her responsibility as a captain is to mentor the younger players whose varsity futures may be up in the air. 

“Now being a senior captain, I get to play with some of the younger girls, so it’s important to teach them (that) you don’t give up,” Fawcett said.

Gilderman added that having a player with Fawcett’s history is only beneficial to his team. 

“It’s good to have a player who’s battled to hold onto a spot and give that leadership to someone who’s (currently) battling to hold onto a spot. That’s healthy for a team,” Gilderman said. 

Proctor-Hermantown took a 1-0 lead in the first period on a goal by Aurora Opsahl, which Rochester Lourdes evened in the first two minutes of the second period on Clara Billings’ 34th goal of the season. The Mirage took a 2-1 lead midway through a sloppily-played third stanza, forcing the fifth-seeded Eagles (15-10-1) to pull their goaltender. Maggie Hanzel tied the game for the Eagles with just 43 seconds left in regulation. 

Despite having the score tied so late in the game, Proctor-Hermantown’s Gilderman said that he wasn’t worried about senior goaltender Ryan Gray. 

“Ryan doesn’t get rattled,” Gilderman said. “That’s why I didn’t really worry about her freaking out after they scored with (43) seconds (left). We’re gonna get the same product out of Ryan no matter what happens.”

After battling through four overtime games entering Wednesday night’s contest, Rochester Lourdes’ Billings said that the Eagles just came up short. 

“We’ve been in our share of overtime games, so we knew how to diminish our nerves and just focus on this eight-minute period ahead,” Billings said. “I think we came out strong, and just didn’t make it (out) on top this time.”