Class A Girls Hockey State Quarterfinal: Academy of Holy Angels 6, Luverne 1
Posted: Wednesday, February 21, 2024 - 9:14 PM
The LaMere family legacy added a new chapter to the record books at the Academy of Holy Angels with the Stars’ 6-1 win over Luverne in the third quarterfinal of the Class A state tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Under the leadership of head coach Ryan LaMere, Holy Angels has compiled a 22-3-3 record this season along with earning the school’s third trip to the state tournament in 2023-2024. No stranger to tourney time, LaMere helped guide Holy Angels to its first MSHSL Class AA Boys Hockey State Tournament as a prep player back in 1999 and went on to earn All-Tournament status that season.
Fast forward to 2024, and LaMere’s daughter stepped into the spotlight for #1 seed Holy Angels as she recorded the tournament’s first hat trick to lead the Stars to a second match-up against the winner of today’s game between #4 seed Warroad and #5 seed Proctor/Hermantown.
“It’s really cool,” Ryan LaMere said. “You are always trying to find the balance between being a coach and being a dad, so to see your kid on this stage and then letting her go out and show the world what she is capable of and to see her execute the way she did was really something neat and something we will certainly remember.”
Holy Angels opened the game’s scoring at 13:09 of the first period with a goal by Audrey Gartin on assists from Mayan Mullin and Berit Loichle. Gartin then moved the lead to 2-0 with a goal at 15:07 of the first period with assists from Avery Mullin and Makayla Clow.
After a scoreless second period, Holy Angels took control of the game with a goal by Calli Holmes at 5:37 of the third period. Bella LaMere pushed the Stars’s lead to 4-0 with her first goal at 6:43 of the third with assists from Avery Mullin and Riley Iverson.
Bella LaMere continued her run at 7:12 with her second goal of the night with assists from Emilee Anderson and Harper Poehling. Luverne then broke the shutout at 9:56 with a power play goal by Hannah Woodley that included a solo assist from Tinley Behr.
To earn the hat trick, Bella LaMere posted her 25th goal of the season at 13:12 of the third with assists from Gartin and Taylor Lesnar.
On the scoresheet, Holy Angel had 38 shots on net and the Stars’ goalie of record was Eva Bently with six saves.
