MARSHALL — In a rematch of the 2024 Section 3A championship, the top-seeded Marshall girls hockey team will once again face off against No. 2 Luverne tonight for the section championship at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter.

Marshall earned the top seed and a quarterfinals bye in the tournament for the second straight year. The Tigers defeated No. 4 New Ulm in the semifinals on Saturday 2-1 behind Abbey Foley’s pair of second-period power-play goals.

Luverne was awarded the second-seed, and took down No. 3 Fairmont in the semifinals 6-1 after their quarterfinal bye on the opposite side of the bracket.

The Tigers and Cardinals have built up some competitive history over the year, and Marshall will be looking to break the pattern and come out on top this time around.

Luverene shut out the Tigers 4-0 in last year’s championship behind three goals in the final period. The Cardinals also had 26 shots on goal to Marshall’s 17 throughout the entire game.

Marshall will need to find an answer to slow Luverne’s offensive line, specifically Ellie Van Batavia and Payton Behr. Van Batavia and Behr lead the Cardinals with 22 goals each on the season with 44 and 33 points respectively. Van Batavia has a team-high 22 assists as well.

Tenley Behr is another key offensive playmaker for Luverne, with 18 goals, 15 assists and 33 points.

Emma Saarloos is likely to spend the night in the net for the Cardinals, and enters today with a 90.6% save percentage. She has saved 452 of 499 total shots taken at her this season.

Marshall goalie Lily Stelter has a 90.4% save percentage, and has saved 375 of 415 shots this year.

For the Tigers, the offense will continue to rely on several contributors, especially in Brooklyn Mauch, Foley and Peyton DeMuth.

Mauch leads with 80 points behind a team-high 45 goals and 35 assists, while Foley follows with 46 points with 14 goals and 32 assists. DeMuth has a team second-best 25 goals with 19 assists.

The Cardinals and Tigers have met twice over the regular season, each team winning a game.

Marshall took the first meeting 5-1 at home on Dec. 3. Emerson DeMuth had a pair of goals in the game, and the Tigers outshot the Cardinals 39-27.

Luverne however got its revenge on Jan. 30 with a 5-2 win, with 28 shots on goal to Marshall’s 17.

The Cardinals jumped to a 3-0 lead after the first period, and limited the Tigers from getting any offensive momentum going to come back. Mauch scored both of Marshall’s goals in the matchup, with one each in the second and third period.

Saarloos and Stelter served as their team’s goalies in both meetings, each goalie saving 49 of the 55 shots they faced across the two meetings.

The winner of the championship will qualify for a spot in the Class A State Tournament, which will take place at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center beginning on Feb. 19.

If Marshall wins, it will be the program’s fourth appearance at state and first time since the 2018 season. The Tigers fell to the consolation bracket after a first-round loss to Breck during the last state trip.

Puck drop for tonight’s championship is slated for 7:30 p.m.