ST. PETER — Sir Isaac Newton is known for his three laws of motion.
Well, there is a fourth Newton law, this time established by Mankato East junior Brielle Newton (no relation, but she wishes) — drive to the net and good things will happen.
Newton, one of three East seniors, netted the game-winning goal midway through the third period as the Cougars claimed a 3-1 Section 2A championship win over Minnesota River Wednesday at Don Roberts Arena on the campus of Gustavus Adolphus College.
“It’s great,” Newton said. “With this being my senior year I wanted to end it giving my all. Being able to go to state is huge.”
The Cougars advance to the state tournament, which begins Wednesday, Feb. 18 at Grand Casino Arena. Seeding for the bracket will be revealed in the coming days.
“We haven’t done this since my eighth grade season,” junior co-captain Alexis Erickson said. “We’re so excited. We all wanted (to go to state) from the beginning of the season. That was one of our biggest goals.
“We’re all excited.”
When you looked at the records of both Mankato East and Minnesota River entering this game, you saw one glaring similarity. Both possess a single tie to their respective records.
Coincidentally, the tie came from the Cougars and Bulldogs playing to a 4-4 draw. That showdown happened on Nov. 13, 2025 on Minnesota River’s home ice, a game where it let a 4-2 third period lead slip away.
To the surprise of no one in the jam-packed arena, this game was nip and tuck. Each team netted a power play goal for a 1-1 tie entering the third period
Junior Grace Campbell drove to the net with the puck on the edge of her stick. Her shot was denied as she was forced to the boards by a Bulldogs defender.
But the puck squirted free and bounced off the boards. As fate would have it Newton was at the right place at the right time, burying the biscuit in the back of the net. And suddenly with 8:45 remaining, East led 2-1.
“At the time, I was a bit stressed out,” Newton said. “Getting a 2-1 lead made me feel a lot calmer.”
Of course, like any competitive game with plenty on the line, the final moments got intense. With under a minute to go senior Ava Tibodeau went to the box for roughing after a scrum in front of the net. With the Bulldogs opting to pull goaltender Annika Magelee they skated 6 of 4 with a chance to tie the game and force overtime again.
Then sophomore Laina Peterson entered the chat.
The Cougars leading scorer fired unguarded from between the blue line and goal line. Her shot found the back of the net. The final dagger through the Bulldogs’ heart to give East the sectional title.
The Bulldogs, led by seven seniors, were battle tested entering Wednesday’s game. They earned a 4-2 win over East Grand Forks, a 1-0 win over Fergus Falls and a 3-1 loss to Dodge County. All three foes made sectional championship game appearances. The Bulldogs also claimed a 2-1 win and 3-1 loss to Luverne, who beat Marshall 3-2 in Tuesday’s section 3A championship tilt.
But the Bulldogs stumbled out of the chutes.
Senior Kaylee Gogerty went to the penalty box 45 seconds into the game for tripping. The Cougars took full advantage.
Sophomore Ella Fugazzi’s shot from the point hit a stick in front of the net. The stick happened to belong to East junior Alexis Erickson. She scored the first goal in Saturday’s sectional semifinal showdown with Hutchinson to ignite five-unanswered goals. On Wednesday she needed 87 seconds to put the Cougars ahead with a 1-0 lead.
The Cougars, with three seniors, stumbled a bit in the second period. The Bulldogs came out with intensity and pressure.
Then Fugazzi went into the penalty box with 8:50 left for holding. Minnesota River needed exactly 10 seconds to see junior Noelle Simonette even the game 1-1.