Tigers Bow to Maple Grove

By Pat Rupp

Maple Grove (5-0-1) came into Saturday afternoon’s non-conference game with Farmington unbeaten and ranked eighth in the most recent Let’s Play Hockey Class AA state poll. The Crimson did nothing to hurt its standing in a 4-1 victory over the Tigers in their home opener at Schmitz-Maki Arena.

Farmington, which has netted just two goals in its last two outings fell to 0-3 and is 0-2 in South Suburban Conference action.

“It’s hard to describe other than we are just a tick away from putting it all together,” Farmington coach Jon Holmes said. “In all, we played about four or five minutes of rough hockey in which they (Maple Grove) were able to capitalize. 

“We never had a power play which was a little frustrating as there seemed to be some very obvious tripping, and the times we could have had power plays our girls didn’t hold their composure and we went to the box with them. That is something we need to nip right now.”

The teams traded goals within a one-minute span in the opening period with Farmington’s Abby Gehrke (from Ava Johnson and Makenna Kadrlik) answering Maple Grove’s Tristan Tatur’s score at 7:36.

The game stayed tied until the final seconds of the second stanza when Tatur notched her second of the contest with just two seconds left in the period.

The momentum of the late score in the second carried over to the opening minute of the third as Maple Grove extended its lead to two goals just 32 seconds after the opening face-off. A fourth and final goal five minutes later sealed the deal.

The Crimson outshot their hosts by a 31-19 count for the game with Tiger goalie Ryleigh Furlong totaling 27 saves.

“We played well overall,” Holmes said, “controlling much of the play and limiting their chances to outside the slot. We just were not able to find the back of the net again. A couple of posts, a couple of point blank chances, and a few bounces not going our way….”

“In the past two games we have not had one forward from our top two lines score a goal which I would not have thought even possible for one game, let alone two….But attitudes are positive, and we are working hard on and off the ice. I am confident we will put it together. When we do, it will be hockey stick growth.”

The Tigers return to South Suburban Conference play Tuesday night with a road matchup against Eastview at the Apple Valley Sports Arena.