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GHS: Breck Captures Second Straight

By Peter Odney , 02/23/19, 8:15PM CST

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Olivia Mobley embraces two Breck teammates after the Mustangs defeated Warroad 6-1 on Saturday night.


Breck captain Carly Beniek with the Class 1A State Championship trophy.

Mustangs Capture Second Straight Title

Powered by an eighth-grade goaltender and four goals in the third period, Breck completed its title defense, downing Warroad 6-1 on Saturday night to earn their second consecutive state championship. 

“At the beginning of the season, we set some goals for the end of the season, and our main one was (going) back-to-back,” junior forward Olivia Mobley said after the game. “So every practice, every drill, every team-bonding activity was guided towards that goal.”

Mobley totaled a goal and assist for the Mustangs (22-8), while goaltender Uma Corniea made 41 saves on 42 shots in the win.  

The performance didn’t surprise Warroad coach David Marvin, whose Warriors had shut out the second-seeded Mustangs 3-0 earlier in the season. 

“They were good like I thought they’d be,” Marvin said, adding that the No. 1 seed Warriors (28-1-1) did not get the shots they wanted against the Mustangs. 

“We didn’t get inside enough,” Marvin said. “She’s a really good goalie, but we didn’t get the quality (shots) they got on Quinn,” Marvin added, referring to senior goaltender Quinn Kuntz. 


Warroad's Marlie Johnston scores for Warroad during Saturday's loss.

Since that loss to the Warriors last November, Breck co-coach Steve Persian said that he and his staff had made minor adjustments to the team’s strategy. 

“Over the course of the last three months we’ve worked on some things in the defensive zone to move the puck out,” Persian said. “We focused on efficiency and not perfection, and it really seemed to pay off today.”

Carly Beniek scored the first goal of the game, followed by Warroad’s Marlie Johnston tying the contest less than two minutes later. Elly Klepinger put the Mustangs ahead 2-1 in the second with a wrist shot from the point, and Olivia Mobley extended the lead to 3-1 before a penalty shot was awarded to Breck after a Warroad player was called for delay of game by covering the puck in the Warriors’ crease. 

Enter Sadie Lindsay. 

“They asked us to pick a player on the ice, and we picked Sadie Lindsay who for all intents and purposes never misses a penalty shot,” Persian said. 

Persian and co-coach Keith Radloff took over the program after former coach Ronda Engelhardt took the position of head coach with the National Women’s Hockey League’s Minnesota Whitecaps. 

Mobley, one of the team’s handful of upperclassmen, said that the team and its new coaching staff grew together over the course of the season. 

“At first it was an adjustment, I think everyone can agree on that,” Mobley said. “We couldn’t be happier with the outcome. It’s been an awesome season, the coaching staff is fantastic, the connection has only grown throughout the season,” Mobley continued.

“It’s been really fun, especially coming back to State.”  


Breck's Uma Corniea made 41 saves on 42 shots in the Mustangs' win over Warroad.

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