The Amery Warriors have never been to the WIAA State High School Hockey Tournament. The Somerset Spartans made trips in both 2020 and 2021, but didn't win a game in either trip. So Thursday afternoon at Bob Suter's Legacy20 Arena in Middleton, one of the two would be collecting their first ever tournament game win.

The two Middle Border Conference foes came in very familiar with each other and played a three-overtime thriller in the MBC Championship Game the last time they met. Officially, the game was a 3-3 after two overtimes, but Amery won 4-3 in the third overtime to determine the conference champions. The score was the same again today at 4-3, Amery but this time overtime wasn't required.

It took less than minute for Amery to open the scoring. Levi Tylee fired a shot on goal for the Warriors, and the rebounded kicked out to the side where Mikey Kelly was waiting all on his own to bury it and take an early 1-0 lead.

That is where it stood for the rest of the first period, with Amery holding a 10-8 shot advantage in the period.

The second period was more of the same until the 6:18 mark when Somerset's Josh Albert carried into the Amery zone down the right side. He walked the defenseman and came in alone, beating the goalie and tying the game at one.

Amery would retake the lead at the 15:30 mark of the second period. Oscar Thoff chased the puck across the hashmarks in front of the Somerset goal through four Spartans players. He corralled the puck on the far side of the net, spun and fired into the glove side corner to give Amery a 2-1 lead.

Somerset took the shot lead by the end of the second period, outshooting Amery 8-4 in the second.

Elliot Greene extended lead just 57 seconds into the third period when he netted a wrister to make it 3-1. Amery scored again just 30 seconds later when Kemper Lundgren carried the puck into the Somerset zone. Four Spartans converged on Lundgren who poked the puck forward to Mikey Kelly, who was all alone to make it 4-1.

Somerset answered right back though just 35 second later when Blake Thiel hit Ryland Lathe with a feed and Lathe put it in to make it 4-2. 

Two quick penalties by Amery gave Somerset nearly 90 seconds of 5-on-3 time but Amery managed to kill off the two penalties and maintain the 4-2 lead.

A costly turnover by the Warriors at the 13:25 mark left Marshall Haukom with the puck in the faceoff circle and he fired a heavy wrister into the top corner to bring the Spartans back within one goal at 4-3.

Somerset called a timeout with 1:16 left and pulled goalie Carson Belisle for the extra attacker. They put several shots on Amery goalie Carter Meyer but weren't able to score and the Warriors took the 4-3 win.

Carson Belisle had 21 saves in the loss for Somerset. Carter Meyer had 29 saves in the win for Amery.

Amery and Tomahawk will face off Saturday morning, both of them going for their first ever state championship.