After St. Croix Valley Fusion junior Kendall Sundby scored a goal on a rebound shot less than a minute into the sectional semifinal against Hudson, Raiders senior goaltender Catterina Donna saved the 37 ensuing shots en route to Hudson’s 2-1 victory.

Shortly after the fourth-seeded Raiders knocked off the top-seeded Fusion, St. Croix Valley head coach Matt Cranston couldn’t help but tip his cap to Donna’s dominant goaltending performance, which made scoring nearly impossible throughout the semifinal contest in River Falls on Tuesday, Feb. 21.

“(Donna) was the whole key to the game, and we knew that ahead of time,” Cranston said. “She’s the best goalie we go against. We outshot them 56-12 in one of the regular season games and they beat us. It’s really tough to win when you’re playing against that great of a goalie.”

Donna’s goaltending stole the show, as she saved 37 of 38 Fusion shots and posted an elite save percentage of .974 in the win. In addition to being outstanding in even-strength situations, Donna also served as Hudson’s best penalty killer, as she and the Raiders held the Fusion to zero conversions on five power play opportunities.

While Donna starred in Hudson’s win on Tuesday night, the Raiders’ offense also operated at a high level, something it hadn’t done against the Fusion during the regular season. In their two meetings during the Big Rivers schedule – which they split – the Fusion outshot the Raiders more than three-to-one (91-26).

Although the Fusion still outshot the Raiders 38-27 in the sectional semifinal at the Wildcat Centre on Tuesday night, it wasn’t the lopsided figure that St. Croix Valley had expected. Coach Cranston chalked it up to a lack of energy and not being defensively stout.

“I expected us to be a little bit better because we were quite a bit better the first two games (against Hudson) as far as shots on goal and energy,” Cranston said. “They came to play and we were just a little off. We just weren’t very crisp defensively.”

The Raiders took advantage of the Fusion’s lack of defensive energy when Hudson senior forward Avery Haider slashed through the defense and fired a shot into the back of the net to tie the game 1-1 with 11 minutes to play in the first period.

After St. Croix Valley freshman Nathalie Rotsaert went to the box to serve two minutes for tripping early in the second period, Hudson quickly cashed in on its power play opportunity. Just one minute into the five-on-four advantage, junior Camryn Robson scored and gave Hudson a 2-1 lead.

As Cranston stated, his Fusion didn’t create as many shots on goal as they had against Hudson during the regular season and they struggled to stay locked in defensively and limit the Raiders’ high-quality offensive chances. He spoke about how nerves for a sectional semifinal against a big rival likely impacted his team’s performance.

“I didn’t think it would happen, but we had some nervous kids,” Cranston said. “This was a huge game and I could tell the nerves had something to do with it. I didn’t think it would be that way, but I think that’s what happened.”

Although Hudson ultimately advanced to the sectional championship with a 2-1 victory, the Fusion had their chances throughout a hectic third period. The final frame featured five penalties – three by the Fusion – and multiple chaotic five-on-three and four-on-four situations.

The Fusion managed to generate several high-quality shots among the chaos and even had one shot go off the post with a chance to tie late in the period. Cranston spoke about the hectic nature of the third period and how the game could have gone either way.

“It was really hectic and it’s hard to coach because you’ve got all these power plays and penalty kills,” Cranston said. “We hit a pipe and we had a couple of great shots, it could have gone either way. It was just hectic.”

Coming within inches of scoring and tying the game likely made the 2-1 loss in a big playoff game against a rival even more difficult to endure. This year’s top-seeded Fusion featured five seniors including Sophia John, Alayna Brightbill, Alisha Latham, Jasmine Petersen and co-captain Trinity Mittl.

Their legacy includes outstanding locker room leadership and nearly unprecedented on-ice successes including four consecutive Big Rivers Conference championships. Cranston spoke about his message to the girls in the locker room after the game.

“I gave them a positive message and told them that we had a great year, which we did as the conference champions,” Cranston said. “It’s just tough because they’re crying and the seniors are done, but these seniors can hang their hat on (four league titles) for the rest of their lives. Winning four in a row just doesn’t happen. They can hold their heads high, this was a great group of kids.”

The Fusion finished the 2022-23 season 12-12 overall and 6-2 in Big Rivers Conference play, which netted the aforementioned fourth consecutive league championship for the outgoing senior class.