CHIPPED PUCK — Fairmont Area forward Abi Sundeen (18) and Windom Area forward Reagan Haugen click hockey sticks to chip the puck off of the ice during the two teams’ Section 3A quarterfinal game on Thursday night in Windom. Fairmont Area’s Frankie Martin (12) watches the action. (Photo by Greg Abel)

WINDOM — Fairmont Area junior goalie Ilana Moeller did during Thursday night’s Section 3A hockey quarterfinal what she did during the 2023-24 regular season — make save after save after save.

The sure-handed Moeller turned away an incredible game-high 51 shots on goal, but it was not enough to deny the Windom Area Eagles a 4-1 first-round sectional win over the visiting Cardinals in Windom.

Victoria Robillard generated two goals and one assist, while teammate Madyson Fredin netted one lamp-lighting shot and two helpers to steer the Eagles into the next round of the postseason.

No. 4-seeded Windom Area (11-14-1) advances to face the No. 1-seeded Marshall Tigers (16-8-1) at 3 p.m. Saturday at Red Baron Arena in Marshall in a sectional semifinal clash. Marshall earned a first-round bye.

No. 5-seeded Fairmont Area ended its season with a 7-18 overall record.

“Ilana did a phenomenal job in net for us again tonight. She finished with 928 saves on the season. Those are huge, huge numbers,” Fairmont Area head coach Eric Householder said in reference to Moeller’s single-season record-setting save total.

“We made a dozen shots on goal in the first period to keep the score close at 1-0, and then trailed only 2-1 after two periods.” Householder continued. “They simply outshot us during the third period (20-5), and needless to say, the puck literally did not bounce our way during the final 17 minutes of regulation.”

Ironically, Victoria Robillard entered the postseason with only two goals and four assists in 25 regular-season games, but delivered Thursday night’s section quarterfinal’s initial assist on Reagan Haugen’s goal at the 14:16 juncture of the opening segment.

Robillard flipped a left-to-right pass to Haugen, who chipped her shot into the twine from the left doorstep for the early 1-0 lead.

Victoria Robillard then traded roles and tucked home a shot inside the right pipe for a 2-0 Windom Area lead at the 12:32 mark of the second period.

Fredin created chaos in the crease with her rush before dumping her pass to Robillard for the goal.

Karissa Newville and Bella Larson then drew the Cardinals within one again by assembling a perfect short-handed breakaway opportunity.

Newville, who entered the playoffs with a team-best 20 points, filtered a long clearing pass near the sideboard to a breaking Newville.

Newville skated a direct attack line at Eagles’ netminder Fiona Robillard and hammered her shot through the proverbial 5-hole with 7:32 left in the second frame.

Abi Sundeen and Larson unleashed back-to-back shots on the Eagles’ cage to open the middle frame, but Fiona Robillard recorded two of her 27 stops to keep the Cardinals from knotting up the game.

Maia Goerndt took a pass from Larson, but her doorstep tap-in was denied before Goerndt later literally kicked the puck to Sundeen for a 45-degree shot from the right-side face-off circle only to see Fiona Robillard sweep away the wrister.

Fredin later contributed one goal and one helper during the third period to provide a three-goal cushion for Windom Area with time winding down.

Moeller blocked, stick-checked and batted away 18 of the Eagles’ 20 third-period blasts, but the Cardinal offense could not generate enough shots on net to even the score.

Windom Area defeated Fairmont Area by a 4-1 decision on Dec. 21 in Windom before the Cardinals turned the tables on the Eagles by rallying for a 4-3 triumph on Jan. 16 at Martin County Arena in Fairmont as the two Big South Conference teams battled to a regular-season split decision.

Fairmont    0-1-0–1

Windom      1-1-2–4

Scoring Plays

1st Period

WDM–Reagan Haugen (Victoria Robillard), 14:16.

2nd Period

WDM–Victoria Robillard (Madyson Fredin), 12:32.

FMT–Karissa Newville (Bella Larson), SH., 7:32.

3rd Period

WDM–Madyson Fredin (Ella Dockter), 15:47.

WDM–Victoria Robillard (Madyson Fredin), 2:44.

Shots-on-goal: Windom Area 19-16-20–55; Fairmont Area 12-11-5–28.

Saves: Ilana Moeller (FMT) 51; Fiona Robillard (WDM) 27.

Penalties: Fairmont Area 4 for 8 minutes; Windom Area 3 for 6 minutes.

Power-play chances: Windom Area 0-for-4; Fairmont Area 0-for-3.