Tigers Blank No. 3 Red Wing to Reach Finals

by Pat Rupp

Tiger coach Jon Holmes knew that if his team was to defeat the state’s third-ranked Class A team it would have to contain Red Wing’s all-state forward Taylor Heise. As it turned out Heise was literally a non-factor as she missed the game, an impressive 5-0 Farmington win.

The victory in the semifinals of the Louie Schmitz Holiday Classic vaulted Farmington into Friday’s championship game with South Suburban Conference rival Lakeville North.

“Heise certainly would have brought a different element to the game,” Holmes said, “but we were able to just out-match them with our superior depth.”

The Tigers, who have been prone to slow starts this season, came out with a roar against the Wingers, outshooting their guests by a gaudy 20-3 margin. The game was far from over, however, as those 20 shots translated to a single goal. Claire Enright did the honors at the 10:10 mark on an assist from Cassie Knutson.

The second stanza proved pivotal as Farmington netted three unanswered goals. Jayden Seifert got things started with a power play score on assists from Marissa Agerter and Ellie Moser. Gabriella Hudson (from Carly Lancaster) made it 3-0 and Moser (from Carly Simon) made it a four-goal cushion with a shorthanded goal at 14:21 of the second.

“We have put a big emphasis on special teams play of late and it is nice to see us continue to have success with it,” Holmes said. “Obviously, we would like to have fewer of our own penalties to have to kill, but we definitely practice those things throughout the week to give us an edge during games when they inevitably occur.”

Brenna Fuhrman (from Enright and Kiya Vincent) added a little frosting on the victory cake with the only goal of the final period.

Farmington outshot the Big Nine Conference leaders by a whopping 54-13.

Abby Bollig picked up the win in goal, stopping all 13 shots she faced and in the process ran the consecutive scoreless periods streak she and fellow netminder Emily Auge have recorded to an impressive 10. Farmington has outscored the opposition by a 14-0 count its two tournament games.

“This was another solid win for us where we played three periods while rolling with four lines and six defenders,” Holmes said. “Both games so far in the tourney we were able to stay extremely fresh and win races to the puck and then move it nicely in the corners and to the net. 

“The big loss we had in this game was Jayden Seifert who had to leave with a fractured wrist. Hopefully she will be able to make a return sooner than later.”

Farmington (10-3) and Lakeville North (9-5) are not exactly strangers. The Panthers used three power play goals to score a 3-2 win in the season opener at Schmitz-Maki Arena back in November and the rivals will meet again next Thursday at Ames Arena in Lakeville in South Suburban Conference play.

Face-off for Friday night’s championship tilt is 6:00 back at Schmitz-Maki.