Tigers Pay Back South; Win Streak Hits Six

by Pat Rupp

Farmington opened its 2019-20 on a down note, losing at South Suburban Conference rival Lakeville South 5-3. Two more losses followed but since then the Tigers have been on a 10-2 run, the latest win a nip-and-tuck 3-2 victory over #10 Ranked South Saturday evening at Schmitz-Maki Arena.

The win extended Farmington’s win streak to six games and lifted coach Jon Holmes’ team conference record to 7-3, one game behind league-leading Apple Valley.

“The win against South was big for us both in the conference and section,” Holmes said. “But the biggest takeaway is that we won ugly. 

“We were off our game mentally and despite everything seemingly going in the wrong direction we managed well enough to win. That is the sign of a team that is starting to get things going the right way.” 

The Tigers outshot the Cougars 16-4 in the first period but managed just one goal. Claire Enright (from Sadie Long and Makenna Kadrlik) found the twine at 5:59 of the period for a one-goal lead.

South outscored Farmington 2-1 in the second stanza with Kadrlik (from Enright) sandwiching a Tigers score between two Cougar goals.

“The two goals they got came off of mental letdowns on our part,” Holmes said. “We gave them a breakaway and a two-on-one. Other than that we were able to limit their chances to the outside.”

The teams remained deadlocked at 2-2 until six minutes remained in regulation when Jayden Seifert scored unassisted to give the Tigers a lead they would never surrender.

“Jayden skated to the bottom of the circle and snuck one over the goaltender’s shoulder,” Holmes said. “It was a good, hard shot from an awkward angle.”

Farmington outshot South 37-22 in the contest with Tiger goalkeeper Ryleigh Furlong finishing with 20 saves.

“Ryleigh played very solid and kept the game manageable for us,” Holmes said.

The Tigers get another shot at revenge for an early season loss Tuesday night when they entertain conference first place and state ranked #7 Apple Valley at Schmitz-Maki Arena. The Eagles posted a 2-1 win when the teams met in November.

Friday an early 5:30 matinee brings the #4 ranked powerhouse of Blake to town for a non-conference game and Saturday the girls resume South Suburban play with a road contest at Shakopee.