One (Win) for the Road

by Pat Rupp

Farmington spotted Burnsville a two-goal lead before responding with four unanswered scores in a 4-2 South Suburban Conference win over Burnsville Thursday night at the Burnsville Ice Center.

The victory was the fifth straight for the Tigers and came in their first road contest of the season.

Farmington coach Jon Holmes said the contest resembled many of his team’s performances in the early going.

“The offense eventually bailed us out, but we were very suspect in the defensive zone,” he said. “We controlled a good 75-80 percent of the play and had a huge number of shots that hit the glass or rang off the posts.”

The Blaze scored two special teams goals in the first eight minutes of the opening period, one on the power play and another shorthanded, to lead by two at the first intermission despite being outshot by an 11-4 count.

Ellie Moser (from Marissa Agerter) broke the scoring ice for the visitors with a short-handed score of their own less than two minutes into the second period and Agerter tied it up with a nifty breakaway goal three minutes later.

Claire Enright (from Cassie Knutson) gave the Tigers the lead for good on the power play midway through the final period.

The drama was far from over, however. Goaltender Emily Auge made a huge save on a Burnsville breakaway with under four minutes to play and moments later Agerter netted her second goal of the night to put the game away.

“It was good to see Marissa get a couple of goals and be rewarded for her hard work,” Holmes said.

The Tigers almost doubled up on the Blaze in the shots on goal department, finishing with a 33-17 advantage on the final scoresheet.

Auge notched her third win in as many outings for the winners, totaling 15 saves on the night.

The win raised Farmington’s season record to an impressive 5-1 and 2-1 in South Suburban Conference play.

Next week will be a busy one for the Tigers with three games on the docket. Tuesday they travel to Minnetonka for a non-conference match-up with Hopkins/St. Louis Park. Thursday they head to Apple Valley for a South Suburban Conference tilt before returning home on Saturday to face league rival Lakeville South.