Kayla Shaffer's first high school goal ended the second-longest girls hockey game in state history Thursday night, and gave Blaine a 2-1 victory over Anoka in the Class 2A, Section 7 quarterfinals at Fogerty Arena.
Shaffer scored at 10:29 of the sixth overtime, after 119 minutes and 29 seconds. The score had been tied since the 5:40 mark of the second period. The winning goal went in at 11:04 p.m., 4 hours and 4 minutes after the game began.
Blaine coach Steve Guider said Shaffer, a sophomore, had just returned from concussion protocol. She was declared symptom-free Saturday.
"The fact that she was in the game at all was a blessing for us," he said.
Blaine goalie Hailey Hanson made 49 saves. Anoka goalie Gretchen Paaverud had the larger assignment; she made 89 saves as Blaine outshot Anoka 91-50. Guider said he knew Paaverud had missed stretches of the season for health reasons.
"She's a very good goalie," he said. "This year she didn't play as many games. She was good against us last year.
"We would like our shooting to be better than it was, but she stood in there and got the job done."
The longest girls hockey game in state history happened in 2016, when East Ridge defeated Apple Valley 3-2 in the Class 2A Section 3 quarterfinals in six OTs. That game lasted 121 minutes, 58 seconds. Apple Valley goalie Taylor DeForrest had 111 saves in that game.
The longest game in girls state tournament history was a Class 2A semifinal between Minnetonka and Lakeville North in 2013. That game went six OTs as well, but it ended in 113 minutes, 29 seconds.
The longest game in boys state tournament history is a five-overtime game between Apple Valley and Duluth East in 1996. That game lasted 93:12. In the 1955 state tournament, Minneapolis South and Thief River Falls played 11 overtimes before South won 3-2. Because overtime periods were shorter, that game was played in 86 minutes.
Guider said he was pleased his team survived the quarterfinals. Blaine will play Grand Rapids/Greenway on Saturday in the section semifinals.
"It's a huge relief," Guider said. "Really, the section quarterfinal game is one of the tough ones because if you're high seed you are playing a team that has nothing to lose. You want to make sure you separate it right away. I had told our kids they have a couple of goalies who can shut you down."
