Wernecke's overtime goal sends Dodge County past Proctor/Hermantown 3-2

Taryn Wernecke finished a frantic Class A quarterfinal with a one-timer 1:10 remaining in overtime, sending No. 4 Dodge County past Proctor/Hermantown 3-2 at Grand Casino Arena in Saint Paul. The overtime winner advances reigning champion Dodge County to the semifinals, a rematch with No. 1 Warroad scheduled Friday at 11:00 a.m. with an ABC 6 livestream.

Dodge County opened the scoring early when junior captain Maysie Koch put the Wildcats up 1-0. Proctor Journal reported Koch’s chip-in came at 3:05 of the first period, assisted by Kylie Meyer and Sophia Buesking, and KAAL described Koch’s goal as a chip-in in front of the crease around three minutes into the game. The first period featured a handful of penalties, including roughing and high-sticking infractions, according to Proctor Journal.

Dodge County pushed the lead to 2-0 in the second when sophomore forward Daisy Harens scored. Proctor Journal listed Harens’ tally at 4:24 of the second with assists to Maren Hodgman and Wernecke, while KAAL reported Harens scored off a pass from Maren Hodgeman. Proctor/Hermantown rallied on the power play to tie the game, with Proctor Journal and KTTc crediting Rylee Kalkbrenner and Grace Nichols for the comeback goals in the second period and MSHSL describing the pair of goals as coming in a six-minute span late in the period. MSHSL also noted Nichols’ goal was her 11th of the season.

Reporting on the second-period times and one of the goal-scorers varied by outlet. MSHSL used a minutes-remaining convention and listed Kalkbrenner’s goal with 6:33 remaining in the second, while Proctor Journal gave elapsed-time stamps of 10:27 and 16:52. Fox21 listed Peighton Paulson among the second-period scorers where other outlets named Kalkbrenner; the official MSHSL box appears to favor Kalkbrenner and Nichols as the tying scorers.

The third period was scoreless and tense, with Proctor Journal noting a low-shot, back-and-forth game that registered 15-14 in favor of Dodge County with eight minutes remaining. KTTc and Proctor Journal described the third as physical and defensive, with both teams battling for the decisive strike.

MSHSL’s game account described the overtime sequence in detail, saying Daisy Harens drove the play along the near boards and threaded a pass to Wernecke in the slot. Wernecke fired a one-timer past Proctor/Hermantown senior goalie Suri Langley to end the game. Wernecke told MSHSL, “It felt really good. Daisy was in the corner. I saw she was looking for a pass and I was ready. She passed it and it went in. Beautiful pass.”

With the 3-2 victory Dodge County improves on a season record listed by MSHSL as 21-6-1 and moves on to Friday’s semifinal meeting with Warroad, a rematch of last year’s Class A championship. Proctor/Hermantown, listed by MSHSL at 18-7-2 and making its sixth straight state tournament appearance per Fox21, will go to the consolation bracket and faces Luverne Thursday at 1:00 p.m. Local coverage and the ABC 6 livestream for the semifinal were noted by KAAL.