Three first-period goals propelled South St. Paul past Mahtomedi 3-2 on Dec. 17, helping vault the Packers (12-4-1, 6-1-0) into higher positioning in both the Metro East Conference standings (they're currently second behind Hill-Murray) and the state rankings.
Senior Brynn Sexauer is the No. 5-1A Packers’ top goal scorer with 14 while sophomore Lillie Ramirez is the team’s points leader with 26.
Mahtomedi (11-6-2, 4-3-1) has lost just once in its last eight outings, a streak that includes the No. 10-1A Zephyrs recording four shutouts, all by senior goaltender Lauren Hamme (1.86 goals against average, .915 save percentage).