Tigers Down Hastings in Tourney Opener

By Pat Rupp

A sluggish start had been the staple in Farmington’s recent three-game losing streak but in Wednesday’s 5-1 victory over Hastings in the opening round of the Louie Schmitz Holiday Classic it was a three-goal first period that keyed the non-conference win at Schmitz-Mai Arena.

Claire Enright scored twice in the opening period and along with Olivia Helleson assisted on Cassie Knutson’s goal to give the home team a 3-0 lead heading into the first break. Jayden Seifert and Carly Lancaster assisted on Enright’s first goal; the second was unassisted.

“Nice to get back in the win column, especially at home,” Farmington coach Jon Holmes said. “We got off to a good start which is something we have been discussing a lot over the past few weeks. I thought we played very solid for all three periods.”

Enright (from Helleson and Knutson) made it a hat trick 30 seconds after the second period face-off to all but put the game out of reach. Samantha Moehle (from Kiersten Wood and Ava Johnson made it 5-0 early in the final frame before Hastings’ Emma Langenfeld spoiled the shutout with the lone Raider goal in the final minute of regulation.

Farmington owned the shots on goal stat numbers, outgunning Hastings by a 36-16 margin. Goaltender Ryleigh Furlong stopped 15 of 16 shots to post her fifth win of the season.

Holmes said he was glad to see the offense light up the scoreboard for five goals but added there were more scores out there for the taking.

“We had a lot of odd-man rushes where we just didn’t get the puck to the net,” he said. “But they were still good to see because it meant that we were playing disciplined hockey in the defensive and neutral zones and creating opportunities.”

Holmes also lauded the play of Enright who finished the night with three goals and an assist.

“Speaking of odd-man rushes, Claire was able to create a few,” he said. “She has an uncanny ability to adjust her speed and her optics in a way that really throws the defenders off. Just when she looks like she isn’t moving that fast she accelerates and makes the goalie move.”

The win on the Schmitz-Maki ice also broke a couple of jinxes. It was the first in five tries at home this season. The Tigers also converted on both power play opportunities, an area that has been a concern most of the year.

“Statistic-wise it looks great but we still have a lot of work to do there,” he said of the power play success. “We have to get control of the puck right away and we still struggled with that.”

The win nudged the Tigers back to the .500 mark at 5-5-1. They face old Missota Conference rival Northfield (10-6) in round two of the tourney Thursday night.