ST. PAUL - Trey Landa scored twice and had two assists and Rory Kvern and Ethan Pagel each added two goals as No. 6 seed Orono’s makeshift top line overwhelmed No. 3 seed Northfield 8-2 on Wednesday in a state Class 1A quarterfinal at the Xcel Energy Center.

Orono (16-10-3), ranked No. 12 in Class 1A, scored five of the game’s first six goals, including two from Kvern back-to-back in the second period, as it pulled away for the upset victory over the No. 9-1A Raiders (22-5-2). Northfield beat Orono 4-2 in the regular season.

The victory was the third straight for the Spartans over a higher-seeded opponent. As the No. 3 seed in the Section 2A playoffs, Orono beat No. 2 Delano and No. 1 Minneapolis. 

The Spartans played without top scorer Jackson Knight, a senior forward with a team-best 64 points. Knight didn’t play because of an unspecified injury, leading to a shakeup of the team’s forward lines.

Northfield’s Michael Steward scored a power-play goal with 58 seconds left in the second period, pulling the Raiders to within 5-2 and giving them a glimmer of hope entering the third. Orono’s Lachlan Hoffman, one of two players not from the Spartans’ top line to score a goal, put the Spartans ahead 6-2 just 1:19 into the final period.

Orono outshot Northfield 23-21.

Orono beat Northfield 1-0 in the consolation championship last year, and 2-1 in overtime in the 2023 quarterfinals.

Lachlan Hoffman's goal 79 seconds into the third period put Orono ahead 6-2 and snuffed out any momentum Northfield had gained with its goal late in the second.

3: Consecutive playoff games in which the Spartans beat the higher-seeded team.
33: Goals scored this season by Jackson Knight, Orono's top scorer. He did not play against Northfield.
3: Times in the last three state tournaments Orono has faced Northfield. The Spartans have won all three.
 

We had a player go down with a last-minute injury, had to make a few adjustments ... we needed some guys to step up, and this line certainly did. 

- First-year Orono coach Mitch Hall on losing top scorer Jackson Knight and his makeshift top line scoring six of the Spartans' eight goals against Northfield