Tigers Defend Schmitz Classic Title

by Pat Rupp

For the second straight year the Tigers are the champions of the Louie Schmitz Holiday Classic.

Jenna Gerold scored a pair of goals to pace Farmington (11-3) to a 4-2 win over South Suburban Conference rival Lakeville North in Friday night’s title game played at Schmitz-Maki Arena. The victory capped a three-game sweep for Farmington in the three-day, eight team tourney.

“It was certainly a goal of ours to defend the title,” Farmington coach Jon Holmes said. “It was a great way to cap off the first half of the season. 

“We certainly have a lot of work left but I just love that we have the mentality and the eagerness to continue taking every practice, every game and every week with a new vigor and sense of challenge. We have an extremely fun group of kids to work with and it makes my day at the rink to be with this group.”

The win over North supplied a little payback for the Tigers who dropped a 3-2 decision to the Panthers in their regular season opener in November.

Gerold got the Tigers off on the right foot with a power play score at 5:03 of the opening period on assists from Brenna Fuhrman and Cassie Knutson. Later in the opening frame the winners added another power play goal, this one by Savanna Tucker with assists from Marissa Agerter and Knutson.

Late in the second period Carly Lancaster found the net on an assist from Kiya Vincent to send the home team to the final break with what looked to be a comfortable 3-0 lead.

“We played two very solid periods,” Holmes said. “And that was despite some very suspect penalty calls and having to kill off  two 5-on-3 situations…In the third period we came out as if the game was already wrapped up and North came out with some fire.”

A fluke goal that bounced off two Farmington players and into the net early in the final period got the Panthers on the board and a goal by North’s Kylie Nelson made it a one-goal game with 10 minutes left in regulation.

Gerold (from Bailey Kelley and Lancaster) gave her team the breathing room it needed with a final goal with six minutes remaining.

The Tigers finished the contest with an eye-catching 37-16 shots-on-goal advantage, making life easier for goaltender Emily Auge who earned her seventh win of the year with a 14-save effort.

Auge and Abby Bollig put together eight consecutive scoreless periods of goaltending work in the tournament before North erupted for its two third period scores.

A scheduling quirk will find the Farmington-North rivalry resumed quickly as the two teams open 2018 play again Thursday night at Ames Arena in Lakeville.