Axel Begley, Leo Gruba and Gianni Hurley scored, and Jack Erickson made 32 saves as No. 1-seeded Hill-Murray held on to beat unseeded Lakeville South 3-2 Thursday night in a Class 2A quarterfinal at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

An uncharacteristic defensive lapse by the Pioneers led to a Tanner Ludtke goal 10 seconds into the game, but Hill quickly regrouped — Begley scored 2:52 later — and led after the first period thanks to a power-play blast from Gruba.

Hurley made it 3-1 midway through the second frame, sending a turnaround shot just inside the post after Hill-Murray’s forecheck created a turnover in the slot.

Tyler Lafferty also scored for Lakeville South; goaltender Jack Hochsprung made 28 saves.

The Pioneers, who didn’t get to play in the state tournament after winning their section due to a COVID-19 exposure, haven’t lost a playoff game since 2019.

This might not be the most offensively gifted Hill-Murray team in the program’s history, but it certainly has to be one of the toughest to play against.

That relentless grit ultimately led to the Pioneers’ third goal — a Hurley wrister from the slot that broke Lakeville South’s comeback hopes.

After gaining possession in their defensive zone, the Cougars looked to transition. Hill-Murray had other ideas. Several layers of Pioneers slowed the exit opportunity, eventually leading to a loose puck in the slot for Hurley to zip home.

Top-seeded Hill-Murray will battle the winner of the matchup between No. 4 Moorhead and No. 5 Andover tomorrow night in the second Class 2A semifinal at Xcel Energy Center.