TIGERS MAKE IT THREE IN A ROW

By Pat Rupp

Farmington shook off a sluggish start to defeat Lakeville North 6-3 Friday night at Ames Arena in Lakeville.

The win was the third straight for the charging Tigers who raised their season and South Suburban Conference record to the .500 level at 5-5-1.

“It was good to get back to level,” Farmington coach Jon Holmes said, “and have a game where we did not have our best stuff and still get a win against a pretty solid North team.”

Farmington blew out the Panthers 9-3 when the two teams met in January and Holmes said that may have been part of the reason his team got off to a rocky start in the rematch.

Sam Moehle netted her fifth goal of the season just 29 seconds into the contest and for all intents and purposes, it looked like another rout might be in store. But North responded with two quick scores midway through the period to take the lead.

Jayden Seifert (from Moehle) tied the score at the 11:14 mark but 30 seconds later the Panthers’ Gracie Hanson found the net to give the home team a 3-2 lead heading into period two.

“We definitely did not come out with the work ethic we needed to,” Holmes said. “I think the girls remembered the score from the last game and probably had it in the back of their minds that they were just going to be able to show up and not do the work.

“The positive though was that were still able to come back and get a win in a very discombobulated game.”

Discombobulated was a good word to describe the rough-and-tumble second period.

Moehle (from Sadie Long) and Brenna Fuhrman (from Liv Helleson and Long) scored power play goals in the period for the Tigers but the big stat came in the penalty column where the teams combined for a whopping 10 infractions, seven of them by North.

“Attitudes were on display,” Holmes said. “It was a border battle and the kids know each other very well. They want to come away with bragging rights when they play each other. It can get a bit heated.

“We have to do a better job of winning races to the puck so we don’t get in a position to be called for penalties.”

Nursing a 4-3 lead heading into the final frame, the Tigers put it away with a pair of goals from Long. Carly Lancaster assisted on the first with the second coming shorthanded.

Long, who had a big night for the winners with two goals and a pair of assists leads the team in goals (13) and total points (19).

Farmington outshot North 28-15 for the night, including a 22-7 bulge over the final two periods.

The Tigers return to South Suburban Conference play Saturday when they host Eagan (1-9-1) at Schmitz-Maki Arena. The Wildcats upset Farmington 2-0 for their only win of the season when the two teams met last month in Eagan.