Marshall Falls As Breck Powers Into Semifinals

Win or lose, we're proud of all the Northland teams competing this week in the state tournament!

Matt Colford saw the sign.

“No. 23, Score For Me!”

Colford, a Breck junior forward, said it might have been his little sister, 7-year-old Molly, waving the oversized, encouraging words. Or possibly his cousin.

Hard for him to know for sure. He did, after all, have a game to play.

And a goal to score.

Oh, what a goal it was.

Colford’s self-described “slip move” through and around Duluth Marshall defenseman Zach Isaacson and following upper-corner rocket was described, alternately, as a backbreaker and a beauty by Duluth Marshall coach Brendan Flaherty and Breck coach Les Larson.

Both words adequately summarize Colford’s second-period goal that sparked the No. 3-seeded and No. 3-state ranked Mustangs (25-3-1) to a 7-0 victory over the No. 6-ranked Hilltoppers (21-8-0) in the quarterfinals of the state Class 1A tournament on Wednesday, March 7, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

With Breck leading 2-0 in the second period, Duluth Marshall’s Judd Peterson and Matt Klassen each missed on breakaway attempts. The Hilltoppers were showing signs of climbing back into the game.

Then Colford fulfilled the handwritten request staring at him from the bleachers. And buried a dagger in the process

via Breck powers into semifinals | Minnesota Hockey Hub | MN Boys High School Hockey.