With a quick turnaround after their quarterfinal defeat, on Feb 22, the Fergus Falls Otters girls hockey team picked up a 4-1 victory over the Tigers of Albert Lea (on Feb. 23), advancing themselves to the consolation championship of the Class A State Tournament.
Both sides were licking their wounds coming into the contest. It was the Tigers who got on the board first, as Mika Cichosz scored at the 2:53 mark. Cichosz played youth hockey with members of the Otters before moving to Albert Lea. The lead was short lived as Hannah Johnson scored the equalizer just under 90 seconds later, with Maggie Greenagel getting the helper.
After the Otters tied the contest, they controlled most of the first period but it would remain tied after the first 17 minutes of the game.
The second period was dominated by the Otters on both ends, as they would tally three goals, including a power play and a shorthanded goal.
Maddie Hulter scored her 30th and 31st goals (of the season) in the frame. The first was on the power play with Johnson getting the assist, just over the nine minute mark. Three minutes later, it was a shorty, with Averie Tonneson providing the pass. Then in the final minute of the second, Rylynn Krein scored her first goal of the season, a nice backhand to the upper shelf. McKenzie Sjolie had the lone assist.
The 4-1 score would hold throughout the third period. Both teams had power play opportunities but did not capitalize.
Fergus Falls finished with 27 shots on goal and Lexi Metcalf turned aside 18 of the 19 Albert Lea shots.
“I thought we worked our tails off, we came out and put the pressure on them,” stated Otters coach Tim Lill. “I was able to play 11 forwards in the game. By the time it was over, looking back, we had fresher legs.
When asked about how quick his team was to respond after giving up the first goal and controlling the game from there, Lill said: “That’s what we’ve talked about, what do you do when you get punched in the nose, you either run away or do something about it … and we responded well.”
Fergus Falls will now face Mankato East at 8:00 a.m. Saturday (Feb. 25) at the Tria Rink in the Consolation Championship Game of the 2023 Class A State Girls Hockey Tournament. Mankato defeated Luverne 5-3 in the other consolation semifinal.
The Class A Semifinal matchups are being held on Feb. 24, as Proctor/Hermantown faces off against Orono and then its Warroad versus South Saint Paul.
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