Card girls' hockey: From overtime to finals
Alexandria pulled off a 3-2 win over Pequot Lakes to advance to tonight's Section 6A hockey championshipBy: Lori Mork, Alexandria Echo Press
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The Cardinal girls’ Section 6A hockey opener was a test of fortitude.
Even though top-seeded Alexandria pummeled the Pequot Lakes (Northern Lights) Lightning goalie with 45 shots, the Cardinals were hard pressed to find a passage into the net, but found just enough scoring for a 3-2 overtime victory and a spot in the section championship.
“The girls advanced to the finals in section play by defeating Pequot Lakes in a heart-threatening Valentine’s Day overtime game that mirrored the style and numbers of the last game in which these teams met just two weeks ago,” said Cardinal head coach Andy Shriver. “Alex dominated play the entire game, putting up 44 shots to Pequot Lakes’ 15.”
The first meeting between the two squads ended in the only tie of Alexandria’s season, a 2-2 affair that saw the Cardinals outshoot the Lightning 38-16.
Neither team was able to make headway until just more than one minute remained in the first period.
“After a dozen Cardinal shots, senior Alia Kopischke slipped in a rebound off a shooting play between Kalley Kragenbring and Taylor Ellingson,” said Shriver of Alexandria’s first goal.
Pequot Lakes earned a power play opportunity in the waning seconds of the first period, and took advantage of that chance early in the second as Megan Synder scored less than two minutes in to tie the game.
The remainder of the second period and most of the third went by without either team able to score, but that ended with less than four minutes remaining in regulation as Taylor Ellingson found the net.
“The Cardinals continued to hammer away on the visitor’s net,” said Shriver, “matching the 15 shots from the first period, including a Taylor Ellingson goal on a chaotic play in front of the Pequot goal created by a relentlessly hard working orange line of Danielle, Carlson, Melissa Drown and Quinn Kragenbring.
“Taylor got the official goal and Quinn got the official assist, but it was a team goal born from rugby-like effort.”
It looked as if the Cardinals would come away with a 2-1 victory in regulation, but Kaylyn Eggena barreled down the ice and put the tying goal in the net with just 1:35 to play.
It was Kopischke’s second goal of the game, that at 1:45 mark of overtime, that propelled the Cardinals into the Section 6A finals.
“Kopischke lifted a one-timer shot past the Pequot goalie on a feed from Kalley Kragenbring.”
Alexandria will now face second-seeded Detroit Lakes tonight, Friday, at the MAC in St. Cloud at 7 p.m. in a game to determine who moves on to state. The Cardinals lost the first contest between the two teams 4-2, then won the second 6-3.
“The section championship game against Detroit Lakes [is] a game that most have predicted since this time last year,” said Shriver. “It should be fun!”
GAME STATISTICS
ALEXANDRIA 1 0 1 1 — 3
PEQUOT LAKES 0 1 1 0 — 2
FIRST PERIOD
ALEX – Alia Kopischke (Kalley Kragenbring, Taylor Ellingson) 1:13.
SECOND PERIOD
PL – Megan Snyder, pp (Kaylyn Eggena) 15:35.
THIRD PERIOD
ALEX – Taylor Ellingson (Quinn Kragenbring) 3:58; PL – Kaylyn Eggena, pp 1:35.
OVERTIME
ALEX – Alia Kopischke (Kalley Kragenbring) 1:45.
SHOT ON GOAL – Alexandria 45, Pequot Lakes 15.
GOALIES – Steph Drown, Alexandria, 13 saves; Kat Jensen, PL, 42 saves.
GIRLS’ HOCKEY
SECTION 6A
1. Alexandria, 2. Detroit Lakes, 3. Fergus Falls, 4. Pequot Lakes, 5. Long Prairie-Grey Eagle/Wadena-Deer Creek, 6. Morris/Benson Area.
OPENING ROUND
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11
Pequot Lakes 7, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle/Wadena-Deer Creek 2
Fergus Falls 14, Morris/Benson Area 0
SEMFINALS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14
Alexandria 3, Pequot Lakes 2 OT
Detroit Lakes 5, Fergus Falls 2
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17
MAC IN ST. CLOUD
7 p.m. – Alexandria vs. Detroit Lakes
Follow #AlexMN @EchoPress Sports Editor Lori Mork on Twitter at @morkwriter.
Tags: alexandria sports, sports, cardinals, girls, hockey, section, 6a, championship
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