Owatonna’s offense explodes in 6-5 win over Apple Valley

After starting the season on an 0-4 skid and scoring just seven total goals, Owatonna has since righted its course with a pair of wins.

The most recent came in a wild 6-5 win over Apple Valley, in which offense reigned supreme.

“We were down 3-0 and had one shot on goal to their 12. I called a timeout after the third goal to settle the nerves and allow ourselves to get reset.  I’m super proud of the team. They’ve shown everything that they could to be resilient. They put themselves in a position to go out there and win this game,” said Owatonna Head Coach Tony Cloud.

Cloud’s Huskies did not have the best start to their road trip as Apple Valley took the ice by storm and jumped out to a 3-0 lead just 11:02 into the game.

The Eagles owned the Huskies in time of possession and seemed to stop all Owatonna advances in the neutral zone – silencing the away fans.

However, senior Anna Mollenhauer's power-play goal late in the period was enough to inspire confidence in the Huskies as both sides hit the locker rooms for the first intermission.

The Huskies were able to cut into the deficit again almost immediately after play resumed, thanks to a breakaway goal by Grace Mitchell.

Mitchell’s shot beat the Eagles’ goaltender low blocker side, moving the score to 3-2 and completely shifting the tide of the game.

Apple Valley answered late in the period by stuffing home a goal on a loose puck in front of Owatonna’s net, but the Huskies answered once more with another breakaway goal, this time by Mollenhauer.

The senior’s second tally of the game came on another breakaway and left the score at 4-3 with just under two minutes to play in the second period.

Now trailing by just one goal, Owatonna hit the ice for the third period and immediately tied the game on a spectacular slap shot from the point by defenseman Kendra Bogen that beat the Eagles’ goaltender from deep.

Bogen’s goal tied the game at 4-4 just 33 seconds into the third, completely nullifying Apple Valley’s early advantage.

The Eagles were able to take the lead again on another loose puck goal in front of Owatonna’s net just under five minutes later, but it would be Apple Valley’s last highlight of the game.

The Huskies played a gritty game down the stretch, forcing multiple errors by the Eagles that later resulted in another equalizer goal – this time by freshman standout Gabby Padgett.

With just 6:55 left on the clock, overtime began to creep into the minds of all those in the arena, but Owatonna was not about to let its comeback win slip away.

As time dwindled down, Apple Valley made a catastrophic mistake opting for a line change as Owatonna forward Genevieve Froman skated down the ice at full speed.

A few Eagles tried to get in her path, but some slick dekes, coupled with some space on the right wing allowed Froman to take a clear path to the net where she buried the game-winner.

Apple Valley had no answer for the goal and was forced to watch the game slip out of its hands as time expired.

Huskies’ goaltender Leah Spencer was excellent in net, allowing just five goals on 43 shots.

Two days earlier, Owatonna traveled to Albert Lea to face the Tigers in a Big Nine Conference matchup and won 3-1 to earn its first win of the season.

Owatonna led 1-0 through two periods thanks to a first-period tally by Brielle Goodnature and more stellar work in net by Spencer.

Albert Lea managed to score in the third period to threaten a comeback, but two goals by Mollenhauer and Mitchell were enough to put the game away at 3-1 for the Huskies.

Owatonna’s next game will be at home against Winona on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m.

Player Stats

vs. Apple Valley

                        G    A    P

Mollenhauer      2    3    5

Bogen              1    2    3

Mitchell             1    2    3

Padgett            1    1    2

Vetsch              0    2    2

Froman             1    0    1

Kubicek            0    1    1

                                SV  SA  GA

Spencer            38   43   5