Goaltender Ally Frantzick (35) follows the puck to her glove for one of 22 saves. Frantzick tallied her first shutout of the season in Breck's 3-0 victory over Proctor/Hermantown on Saturday afternoon. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine
Breck, ranked sixth in the Class 1A coaches’ poll, hadn’t played a game in two weeks entering its Saturday matinee with No. 10-1A Proctor/Hermantown.
After a dominant 11-shot onslaught in the first period, Mustangs eighth-grader Shae Messner finally cracked Mirage goalie Ryan Gray with a minute, nine seconds left in the period, capitalizing on a rebound to the right of the net.
The Mustangs found a goal in each of the final two periods to oust Proctor/Hermantown 3-0 at Anderson Arena in Golden Valley. But the win, the third straight year Breck has shut out the Mirage, still didn’t resemble the way the Mustangs can play.
“We didn’t quite connect very well,” coach Ronda Engelhardt said. “They worked hard -- we just didn’t play the way we normally play.”
Gray kept Breck in check for the majority of the game, stopping 33 of 36 shots she faced and withstood many high-pressure attacks on her net. The Mustangs, without Minnesota freshman and 2017 Ms. Hockey winner, Grace Zumwinkle, have been looking for ways to fill the scoring void Zumwinkle left behind. They spent an entire practice during their break dedicated to scoring.
Breck goalie Ally Frantzick didn’t face a shot in the first period while the game was tied, but that didn’t stop her from supporting her teammates as she called plays and pointed out open skaters on the breakout to keep herself engaged.
Once her team got the lead, she proved to be an effective backstop for the Mustangs (4-6-1, 1-0-0), stopping 22 shots in her first shutout of the season.
Playing one of the toughest schedules among Class 1A programs, Breck’s lineup of majority underclassmen has been tested through the first half of the season as they continue to find their roles.
Messner and freshman Sadie Lindsay both netted goals late in the first two periods as their team’s constant chipping at the Mirage (7-6, 1-1) net finally wore down Gray. Sophomore Olivia Mobley, a Quinnipiac prospect, netted the final goal of the game midway through the third period to expel any thoughts of a Proctor/Hermantown comeback.
Breck, beginning to find its form by winning back-to-back games for the first time this season, will play in the Walser Tournament at Braemar Arena in Edina next week for a three-day dose of competition to end the year after a light schedule in December.
“It’s really inspiring when you see the younger girls come up,” Frantzick said.
Olivia Mobley (17) sends the puck through the crease from behind the net. Mobley leads the Mustangs in scoring this season with 10 goals and 13 points. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine
Breck methodically mowed down Proctor/Hermantown as three different scorers netted goals in a 3-0 victory Saturday afternoon at Anderson Arena in Golden Valley.
The Mustangs, ranked sixth in the Class 1A coaches' poll, held the No. 10-1A Mirage without a shot in the first period and fired 20 shots on net before Proctor/Hermantown could land its first.
Eighth-grader Shae Messner, freshman Sadie Lindsay and sophomore Olivia Mobley, a Quinnipiac prospect, all netted goals for the Mustangs (4-6-1, 1-0-0), while junior goaltender Ally Frantzick notched a 22-save shutout, her first of the season.
Ryan Gray stopped 33 of 36 shots in net for the Mirage (7-6, 1-1).
Goaltender Ryan Gray (1) gets help from senior defenseman Olyvia Opsahl (13) as she knocks the puck out of the crease. Gray tallied 33 saves in the contest. Photo by Cheryl Myers, SportsEngine
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