Did Annie Kuehl know where she was or what she was doing?

“The cool answer is to say yes, but if I’m being honest, no,” Kuehl said after Edina’s 2-1 win over Minnetonka on Friday night. 

Kuehl netted the game-winning goal for Edina with just 38 seconds remaining in regulation, sending the Hornets to their third consecutive Class 2A state championship game, and the third straight appearance for coach Sami Reber. 

“It really hasn’t sunk in yet, the emotions are still pretty high right now,” Reber said after the game. “Come tomorrow morning it’s going to feel pretty surreal. For us to be back where we want to be, I’m so proud of the girls, but we’re not done yet.”

The Edina march back to the state’s grandest stage began with a first-period goal by freshman defender Vivian Jungels, who knifed her way to the Minnetonka net before beating Brynn Dulac to put the Hornets up 1-0. 

Fifth-seeded Minnetonka (15-14-1) tied things up on a goal by Josie Helling, a late add to the Skippers’ playoff roster, who said that the goal was the high point of her hockey career so far. 

“That’s probably the highlight if my hockey career by far over anything else,” the junior forward said. “It was my first varsity goal, so it was very nice to have it at the state tournament against Edina.”

The low-scoring affair wasn’t exactly by design for the Hornets, but the team adjusted to a lack of offensive sizzle by taking care of their zone first. 

“Our gaps were good from our (defense), our forwards didn’t try being too cute in the d-zone,” Reber said. “We just weren’t generating a ton of offense, so I think the team took it upon themselves to say hey, let’s crush the d-zone.”

The No. 1 seed Hornets (26-4) will face Brainerd/Little Falls in the state championship game on Saturday, a chance for Jungels and a handful of other teammates to avenge an overtime loss during the 2015 12-Under state semifinals suffered at the hands of the Warriors.

Does that fact cross Jungels’ mind heading into Saturday night?

“Yes, it does. That was a really hard loss for us,” Jungels said. 

Does she hope to exact a little revenge for the heartbreak of her youth career?

“Yes.”