The Wingers served notice Tuesday that they're deeper than their season statistics let on. Reagan Haley and Emily Stegora each scored a goal as Red Wing topped Albert Lea 4-3 at Prairie Island Arena and advanced to the Section 1A finals.

"That's what they're going to have to do," Wingers coach Scott Haley said. "This is a team sport. They're 14 girls on the team. You know all the clichés. It's the truth."

Red Wing, the top seed, will play No. 2 Northfield at 5 p.m. Friday in Owatonna, Minn., with a berth in the state tournament up for grabs.

The Wingers fell behind midway through the second period when Sophia Jepson beat Lisa Nibbe to put the Tigers ahead 3-2.

"I was a little nervous," Stegora said.

She helped put her teammates and fans at ease when she answered at 10:08 on a long delayed penalty. In the spirit of the evening, Stegora was quick to spread the praise around.

"Cori (Fairbanks) was just working hard in the corner," said Stegora, a freshman. "It just hit someone and went in."

Per usual, Red Wing received a big contribution from Paige Haley. The sophomore defenseman, who scored 22 goals and tallied 47 points during the regular season, scored a pair of goals including the game winner.

Nicole Schammel, the only other Red Wing player who has scored 10 goals or more, added a pair of assists.

The Wingers split the season series with Northfield. It won the most recent meeting between the two teams 4-0 on Jan. 27.