Helleson Has a Hat Trick

by Pat Rupp

Junior defender Liv Helleson was the offensive hero for the Tigers in Saturday’s 4-3 overtime win over Shakopee at Schmitz-Maki Arena.

Helleson notched two goals, one on the power play, in the opening period to help her team to a quick lead and then notched the game-winner 1:15 into an eight-minute extra period to propel Farmington into sole possession of second place at the end of the opening round of South Suburban Conference play.

“We moved her (Helleson) around on the power play which put her in a different position to pick up some closer opportunities and she has been cashing in on those,” Farmington coach Jon Holmes said.  “Her hands are some of the craftiest I have seen. She can protect the puck wonderfully, and if she is near the net she finds a way to get open and get a shot off.”

Helleson scored her first goal less than two minutes into the contest and a couple minutes later made it 2-0 on assists from Claire Enright and Carly Lancaster. The Tigers led 2-1 heading to the first intermission.

Farmington’s Sadie Long extended the home team’s lead to 3-1 with an absolute rip to the top corner and notching the only score of the second period to set up a nail-biter of a third.

The visiting Sabers managed only four shots on goal over the final 17 minutes of regulation but two found the mark and after Paige McNeil found the net with 2:18 to go the teams were headed to overtime.

Perhaps the biggest play of the third period, however, came with 31 seconds left in regulation when Shakopee’s Holly Eckers headed to the penalty box for checking.

The Tigers didn’t score in that half minute but with the penalty about to expire in overtime Helleson (from Jayden Seifert) completed her hat trick much to the delight of the home crowd.

“We had times where we were winning every race and completely dominating all aspects of the game,” Holmes said, “and then we would have a few moments where we lost our purpose and grit. While those times were a bit scary, they were limited enough to help us find another conference win.”

Farmington heads into the holiday season with an overall mark of 6-5 but its 6-3 mark in the South Suburban put it just a game and a half behind league leader Apple Valley.

The days after Christmas the Tigers play host to their annual Louis Schmitz Holiday Tournament. They play three consecutive nights at 6:00 at Schmitz-Maki against non-conference foes Owatonna, Northfield and New Prague.