CHIPPING AWAY — Fairmont Area’s Emily Sokoloski (second from left) battles United’s Gisella Harder (far right) for control of the puck Saturday at Martin County Arena. The Cardinals’ Alexis Newville (19) and Brooklyn Meyer (3) watch the action. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — Despite attending Twin Cities area high schools 25 miles apart, Providence Academy’s Ava Wasserman and St. Paul Academy & Summit School’s Lucie Bond have an uncanny connection on the ice.

Ava Wasserman produced a game-high four goals and one assist, while Bond collected a hat trick to complement two assists to power Minnehaha United to a 9-0 nonconference hockey triumph over the Fairmont Area Cardinals on Saturday in Fairmont.

“They are definitely not the same team we played last season,” Fairmont Area head coach Ashley Olson said in reference to her Cardinals’ 4-3 win over Minnehaha on Jan. 24, 2020. “They have a lot of talented kids who played a fast-paced game today. When we kept our feet moving, we were able to match their intensity, but we couldn’t maintain that pace for the entire game.”

United is a co-operative hockey program consisting of Minnehaha Academy, DeLaSalle, Providence Academy, St. Paul Academy & Summit School and St. Agnes.

Bond, who entered the Saturday ice matinee with a team-leading 18 points via 10 goals and eight assists, and Ava Wasserman (17 points via 11 goals and six assists) triggered United’s staggering 53-11 edge in shots-on-goal at Martin County Arena.

Fairmont Area sophomore goaltender Hadley Artz prevented the final margin from being double figures by recording an incredible 44 saves. Artz needed 36 saves to reach the 1,500 career mark, and remarkably, still has two-plus prep varsity seasons remaining.

“It’s a phenomenal milestone for a sophomore goalie,” said Olson, “and Hadley has a lot of saves left in her for us down the road.”

Artz utilized every tool of her netminding trade to limit United’s offensive damage to two goals during a 24-shot barrage in the opening 17-minute period.

Ava Wasserman converted a power-play chance into the game’s initial goal off an Erin Magnuson assist at the 15:02 juncture in the first before Eva Larson converted a steal into a pipe-scraping unassisted goal at the 11:10 mark.

Artz stonewalled Bond, Ava Wasserman and Charlotte Goings during a frenetic six-shot flurry in less than 60 seconds near the 13-minute juncture of the first frame.

The second period, however, belonged to Ava Wasserman and Bond as the two high-scoring junior forwards combined for all five goals and three of the five assists, with Goings doling out the other two helpers.

Bond cashed in Goings’ pass after United won the face-off and found the webbing just 9 seconds into second segment for a 3-0 margin. Ava Wasserman then reeled off a natural hat trick — three consecutive goals — before setting up Bond’s second goal of the game with 3:08 left in the middle frame.

Bond completed her quest for a hat trick via an unassisted power-play goal at the 13:42 juncture of the third period before Goings collected her third point of the afternoon by notching an unassisted goal with 3:16 to go in regulation.

Tegan Roskop delivered the Cardinals’ initial shot on goal at the 8:57 mark of the opening frame before generating the home team’s first shot on net of the second segment.

Fairmont Area tallied 11 shots on goal, with United goalkeeper Ellie Wasserman turning away each one to net the shutout.

Fairmont Area (3-5) travels to Rochester on Tuesday to face Lourdes in a 7:15 p.m. non-league game at Graham Arena Complex.

Minnehaha United (5-3) travels to the Hopkins campus to play The Blake School at 7 p.m. Tuesday night.

United 2-5-2–9

Fairmont 0-0-0–0

Scoring Plays

1st Period

United–Ava Wasserman (Erin Magnuson), PP, 15:02.

United–Eva Larson (unassisted), 11:10.

2nd Period

United–Lucie Bond (Charlotte Goings), 16:51.

United–Ava Wasserman (Charlotte Goings), 16:07.

United–Ava Wasserman (Lucie Bond), PP, 13:29.

United–Ava Wasserman (Lucie Bond, 5:57.

United–Lucie Bond (Ava Wasserman), 3:08.

3rd Period

United–Lucie Bond (unassisted), PP, 13:42.

United–Charlotte Goings (unassisted), 3:16.

Shots on goal: Minnehaha United 24-18-11–53; Fairmont Area 2-6-3–11.

Saves: Hadley Artz (FA) 44; Ellie Wasserman (U) 11.

Penalties: Fairmont Area 6 for 12 minutes; United 1 for 2 minutes.

Power-play Chances: United 3 for 6; Fairmont Area 0-1.