OHS Girls' Hockey

The Owatonna girls’ hockey team closed out their home regular season with a bang, upending No. 10 rated Lakeville South 4-2 on Monday, January 30. The game was a makeup from earlier this season and came at a good time as the Huskies tune up for the playoffs.

Macy Stanton put OHS on the board four minutes into the game, deflecting a shot from Abby Vetsch. Samantha Bogen also assisted. South evened the score on a deflection of their own late in the period as a shot by Brynn O’Neill hit off an Owatonna player and snuck past goalie Mikayla Wilker. Ella Fowler assisted.

The Cougars controlled play early in the second period and went ahead less four minutes into the frame on a backdoor goal by Josie Grossman with Ella and Hana Fowler assisting. The Huskies tied the game at 2-2 two minutes later as Ava Stanchina slipped the puck toward the net during a 2-on-1 rush. Molly Achterkirch pushed the puck into the net in the ensuring scramble.

The 2-2 deadlock lasted until the Huskies’ Abby Vetsch powered in the game-winning goal during a 5-on-3 power play eight minutes into the third. Ezra Oien assisted. With less than two minutes left Vetsch got the puck in the defensive zone, looked up and saw the South goalie had left for an extra attacker, and sent a long shot right down the middle of the ice to clinch the win. Alia Kubicek and Bogen had assists.

Owatonna coach Tony Cloud said before the game, “It’s going to take an all-around team effort with our three lines. We need to have all of our girls going up and down the ice, playing strong in the offensive zone, but back-checking and playing strong ‘d’ zone if we get bottled up. Biggest thing for us is just staying positive.”

The win improves Owatonna’s section resume for seeding time, but South still leads the section at 19-4. The Huskies (16-6) play at Rochester Mayo Tuesday, January 31 and Northfield Saturday, February 4. Playoffs begin Wednesday, February 8 at the higher seeded teams.