6A Semifinals #1 Northern Lakes vs. #4 Breckenridge/Wahpeton

Preview

Drew Paulbeck scored four goals and added an assist as Northern Lakes advanced to the 6A Championship game for the second straight season with a 7-2 win over fourth seeded Breckenridge/Wahpeton. The Blades were making their first ever trip to a section semifinal.

The Lightning struck quickly, scoring two goals in the first three minutes, then added another to make it a 3-0 lead after one. Jerome Martin tallied the first goal, with Paulbeck netting the other two.

The Blades came out hard in the second period, netting a goal from the blue line a minute into the 2nd to get on the board. The Lightning answered quickly as Paulbeck notched his hat trick to push the lead back to three, then tallied his fourth of the day to give the Lightning a 5-1 advantage 12:31 into the period. The Blades got one back late to match the scoring in the period and it was 5-2 after two.

In the third, the Blades pushed but the Lightning held strong, able to put the game away with a Wyatt Balmer goal 6:24 into the frame and Sutton Sullivan scored his first varsity goal to put the game away with just over three minutes to play.

The Lightning go to 18-8-1 on the year and will play the Alexandria/Willmar winner for a trip to state on Thursday. The Blades finish 10-16-1.