Tiger Girls Topple Conference Titlist Eagan 4-1

Two goals apiece from leading scorers Ellie Moser and Jenna Gerold spurred the host Farmington Tigers girls’ hockey team to a 4-1 victory over the Eagan Wildcats in an exciting South Suburban tussle at Schmitz-Maki Arena on Thursday, Feb. 1.  FHS avenged an earlier 3-2 loss to Dan Wilson’s charges (19-5-1) and likely catapulted Farmington (17-7 overall) to the top seed in the upcoming Section 1AA playoffs. 

Eagan, ranked 11th in AA this week and the top seed in Section 3AA, had the league title already wrapped up but the 15th-ranked Tigers got stronger as the game wore to secure one of its most impressive wins of the season.  Farmington is now 11-5 in league play with a final game at Eastview (Apple Valley Arena) on Feb. 3. The Tigers are tied with Lakeville South for second-place behind Eagan (14-2 league).

Tiger head coach Jon Holmes stated, “Coming in, we knew this would be an emotional night with our last regular-season home game and ‘Senior Night’ but we worked through some of the bugs by late in the first period.  I thought our plan to be stay disciplined on the forecheck and taking away the middle of the ice was well-executed by the girls.”

“There were some scary moments, for sure, when we got tired or had line-change mishaps but thankfully, Emily Auge was there to bail us out with some wonderful saves,” added Holmes.  “I was very proud of the girls and the way they faced different adversities throughout the game.”

Auge, one of the seniors honored before the game, was brilliant in the nets for the home team, especially in the late stages of the first and third periods. She finished with 38 saves in a virtuoso performance.  By gaining her ninth win in goal, she lowered her goals-against-average to 1.91 and increased her save percentage (.927), as well.

Eagan jumped off to a 1-0 lead when freshman forward Emily Cronkhite whipped a backhand over Auge’s right shoulder on the game’s first shift at 1:10 after taking passes from sisters Julia and Abby Barger.  The Wildcats controlled much of the initial stanza with a quick-passing breakout and limited the Tigers to just two good scoring chances by Alexia Budensiek and Claire Enright. The fast-paced period ended with Eagan outshooting the Tigers 13-10. 

Farmington had its only power-play opportunity of the game to start the middle period but Auge came up with a toe save on Julia Barger’s shorthanded breakaway.  Two minutes later, Auge made two clutch saves on Eagan’s leading scorer, Taylor Anderson, and another skate save on Barger’s point-blank chance. From there, Farmington picked up the forecheck and started to control the tempo and take a territorial edge.

Maddie Nickel, the Wildcat’s junior goalie, made a flurry of saves at the 4:00-minute mark before an injury to Tiger junior Bailey Kelley delayed the game for 20 minutes and caused great concern to the bipartisan crowd.  “When Bailey went down and had to be transported out,” remarked Holmes, “that was an extremely tough time for the team but they were able to focus on the things we could actually control.”

Indeed. The delay seemed to inspire the Tigers.  Leading scorer and captain Ellie Moser took the lead in its offensive thrusts into the Eagan zone.  Nickel made two sterling saves on her blasts from the slot before Marissa Agerter was blunted twice on rebound efforts.  At 13:44 of the second period, Enright and Brenna Fuhrman led a 3-2 break and Moser finished off the rush with a backhanded rebound to tie the tilt at 1-1.  Shortly thereafter, Anderson just missed cashing in on a partial breakaway on a bad Tiger line switch.  Moser bolted down the ice and her wicked wrist shot from 30 feet just missed before the end of the session.

Farmington, a bit more physical and aggressive than the visiting Wildcats, pushed the action in the third period as the intensity rose.  An early Eagan power-play was defensed well as both goalies refused to relent despite an onslaught of good shots for both teams.  With 7:28 left in the game, Moser passed to Jenna Gerold, who was seemingly covered between the circles. Gerold somehow got good wood on the puck and redirected over Nickel’s right shoulder to give Farmington a 2-1 lead.  Cassie Knutson was also credited with her 10th assist of the season on the play.

Auge made a sparkling pad save on Julia Barger’s prime opportunity before Moser made a gorgeous play.  After taking short passes from freshmen defenders Jayden Seifert and Brenna Fuhrman at her own blue line, Moser raced between the two Wildcat defensemen.  With the two Eagan players in hot pursuit, Moser beat Nickel with a low wrist shot to the glove side from 10 feet to give FHS a 3-1 lead with 5:28 left.  Auge made two nifty glove saves on an ensuing Eagan power-play to stifle any Eagan threat for a comeback.  With two minutes remaining, Wilson pulled Nickel but Gerold netted an empty-netter when she slid in a 120-footer from just inside her own blue line. 

Nickel finished with 35 saves for the Wildcats.  Anderson, who leads the team with 25 goals and 44 points, was held off the scoresheet, a key factor in the outcome.  Wildcat coach Wilson said, “There was a great atmosphere in the building and a lot of intensity.  There was not a lot of defense for both teams and a lot of up and down play.  In a game like that, they just outscored us as both goalies played well.”

Moser now has bagged 29 goals on the season and increased her team-leading point total to 40.  Gerold, meanwhile, now is second on the team with 13 markers.  Overall, Farmington has now given up just 46 goals in 24 games, an important statistic for a team hoping to make a return visit to the state tournament.

“This was a big game for us,” added Farmington coach Holmes.  “Coming into the season, we had it marked on our calendar as one that could possibly determine our fate in the conference and section.  In the end, it didn’t have an impact on winning the conference but it kept our fate in our own hands to lock up second place.  It also provided a much-needed reward for all the hard work and phenomenal practices we have been having the past couple of weeks.”

Because of an illness throughout the Farmington team in December, the contest slated with Hopkins/St. Louis Park at Minnetonka Arena had to be rescheduled for Friday, Feb. 2.  Thus, the Tigers have to play three games in less than 72 hours as they wrap up the conference season with a game against Eastview (Apple Valley Arena) at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3.