Tigers Down Scrappy Blaze 2-0

by Pat Rupp

Burnsville put up a good fight but in the end Farmington scored a goal in each of the final two periods to back up the steady net play of goalie Emily Auge and scratched out a 2-0 South Suburban Conference win over the Blaze Friday night at Burnsville Arena.

“Despite the shots (39-21 Farmington) and play being pretty lopsided, the score remained tight,” Tiger coach Jon Holmes said. “Burnsville really forced us to have to play hard every shift until the end. 

“They came out with a ton of hustle and grit and they were very efficient in cleaning up rebounds. Lauren Bench is a committed Division I goalie (Bemidji State) and she was phenomenal.”

The Tigers doubled up the Blaze on shots on goal (11-5) but neither team found the net as Bench stopped several good Farmington scoring chances.

Maddi Oines finally broke the scoring drought 10 minutes into the second frame on assists from Bailey Kelley and Ellie Moser.

Emily Rubins scored early in the third period (from Oines and Marissa Agerter) to close out the night’s scoring.

Auge picked up win No. 8 for the season with a 21-save effort. The shutout was Auge’s fourth of the season.

“Emily played very confidently and never showed signs of being out of control,” Holmes said.

The winners played without the services of front liners Jenna Gerold and Savannah Tucker and Holmes said their absence was noticed.

“Without those two in the lineup we played just two lines for the game,” he said. “I was very pleased to see that when necessary we have the gas in the tank to do that since the girls played hard and efficient to the end.”

The Tiger coach said he was pleased with his team’s ability to get the puck on net, but added that he would like to see more of the opportunities turned into goals.

“We are taking shots when we do not have support out in front,” he said. “Our defense and forwards are letting the puck fly to the net from outside and we do not have forwards out front screening or waiting for the rebound. Instead we get stuck on the perimeter…At times we are also rushing our shots.”

Farmington (11-6-3 overall) will be looking to put a few more goals on the scoreboard Tuesday night when they travel to Lakeville’s Ames Arena take on Lakeville North (8-9-2). The two teams skated to a 1-1 tie when they met earlier in the season at Schmitz-Maki Arena.