A Couple of Bumps in the Road

By Pat Rupp

 

Over the first half of the season the Tigers averaged four-plus goals a game.

 

In a pair of South Suburban Conference games last week they managed just one in a pair of home losses to Lakeville South and Shakopee, both teams they had beaten in the opening round of league play.

 

The defeats dropped Farmington to 11-6 overall and 8-4 in conference play.

 

Lakeville South 4 Farmington 0

 

Thursday night the Tigers couldn’t find a way to get the puck past Cougar goaltender Claire Bronson in a rematch of a game won by Farmington 4-3 when the teams played in Lakeville earlier in the season.

 

Neither team had a lot of scoring chances with the Cougars finishing with a 26-17 advantage in the shots on goal department.

 

The teams skated to a scoreless first period but South exploded for three scores in the second to pull away.

 

Two of the three second period scores came on the power play as the Tigers spent much of the period skating shorthanded.

 

All in all, Farmington spent 10 minutes in the penalty box on five two-minute minor infractions.

 

Ella Fowler’s goal midway through the final period sealed the deal for the Cougars.

 

Farmington goalie Makena Underwood finished with  a 22-save night.

 

The shutout was just the second suffered by the Tigers this season and their first since falling to No. 2-rated Minnetonka.

 

 

Shakopee 3 Farmington 1

 

Shakopee scored two unanswered goals in the first period and the Tigers found themselves playing catch-up the rest of Saturday afternoon.

 

“We came out really slow and unwilling to engage,” coach Holmes said. “No matter what we did offensively we couldn’t ring the bell…We had our chances and controlled play the final two periods but the first period killed us.”

 

Despite an 11-3 shots on goal advantage in the second period the Sabers netted the only goal, taking a 3-0 bulge to the final break.

 

Farmington’s Lexi Giller (from Layla Garofalo) finally broke her team’s scoring drought five minutes into the final period to close the game’s scoring.

 

The Tigers again had trouble with penalties, spending 10 minutes in the box. Shakopee’s third goal came via the power play.

 

Addison Moudry worked the Farmington nets, stopping 26 of 29 shots sent her way.

 

“When we decide to go, we can really go,”, Holmes said,  “but when we don’t we can lose to anyone, anytime….It’s our defensive decisions, however, that are really getting us in trouble. We get caught taking chances from which we can’t recover.

 

“Getting jolted like this is probably something that we actually needed. We will get tested right away with a three-game week.”

 

Tuesday night the Tigers entertain Blake in a non-conference game at Schmitz-Maki Arena before hitting the road for conference games Thursday night at Lakeville North and Saturday afternoon at Prior Lake.