FARMINGTON EDGES HOPKINS/ST.LOUIS PARK 3-2

After a signature 4-1 win over South Suburban champ Eagan the night before, the Farmington High girls’ hockey team managed to eke out a 3-2 win over host Hopkins/St. Louis Park at Minnetonka Arena on Feb. 2.  The Tigers were once again led by leading scorer Ellie Moser, who notched her 30th goal along with two assists.  Senior goalie Abby Bollig returned from injury to make 28 saves for the visitors.

“The game with Hopkins/St.Louis Park was a much different game than the previous night against Eagan,” remarked head coach Jon Holmes.  “Although we got the win, we certainly had times when our play was lackluster, at best. I really thought we struggled to find the mind-set to engage as a group. The fact of the matter is that there really isn’t any excuse, either, as we are a deep team that can play in any circumstance.”

Despite a less than stellar performance, the Tigers were able to win their third-consecutive game and improved their overall record to 18-7. They complete their highly-successful regular season with a conference finale against Eastview (7-15-2 overall, 4-11-1 league) at Apple Valley Arena at 2 p.m. on Feb. 3.  FHS is hoping to avenge a 1-0 loss at the hands of the Lightning at Schmitz-Maki Arena on Dec. 21. 

Though Hopkins/St. Louis Park had a mediocre 12-12 mark entering the game, it proved it is no slouch as Chris Erickson’s club plays in the rugged Lake Conference.  Farmington outshot the home club 31-30 in an evenly-played contest.  The Tigers scored in each period and never trailed.

Senior forward Savannah Tucker scored the lone goal of the first period at 5:27 with Moser assisting as FHS outshot Hopkins/S.L.P. 10-9.  The home team tied it early in the middle stanza as senior captain Kylie Hanley scored with Mary O’Neil assisting. Hanley, the team’s leading scorer, notched her 32nd goal of the season. Moser put Farmington back ahead at 4:05 when she beat Emelia Johnson after taking a pass from fellow senior captain Emily Rubins.  Johnson, who played in just five games for Hopkins/S.L.P. this season, finished with 28 saves.

In the third period, junior forward Marissa Agerter found herself in perfect position to knock home a rebound of senior defender’s Carly Simon’s shot at 5:43 to give FHS a 3-1 lead.  Moser also picked up an assist and now leads the team with 43 points.  Hopkins/S.L.P. didn’t quit and got a goal from junior wing Mary Gleason with Hanley assisting at 15:37.  However, the Tigers survived the final 1:23 to gain their sixth one-goal triumph. 

Holmes said, “I give Hopkins/St. Louis Park a lot of credit as they play a very tough schedule.  They are very opportunistic when teams make mistakes.  You can tell that they are prepped and trained to try and take advantage when they are able because they know chances will be limited when playing teams like Edina.”

“Abby Bollig made some big saves for us to keep us on top and it was great to see her out there again,” added the Tiger coach.  “Having a game like this down the stretch was a good eye-opener as we know we need to stay present in all situations.”

The vaunted Tiger power-play was 0-4 while Hopkins/St. Louis Park was unable to score on their lone opportunity.  Bollig, who was returning after going through concussion protocol, played solidly while notching her ninth win. She also lowered her goals-against-average to 1.82 while increasing her save % to .918.