REACHING OUT — Fairmont Area’s Hank Artz (left) stretches out to knock the puck away from Luverne’s Hans Hoven during Big South Conference hockey action Tuesday night at Martin County Arena. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — Fairmont Area kept it close in the first period, but Luverne’s three-goal second period helped secure a 5-2 Big South Conference hockey win on Tuesday night at Martin County Arena.

Brock Behrend, who collected six goals in Luverne’s 11-2 victory over Fairmont Area on Saturday, led the assault again in Game 2 of the two teams’ home-and-away series with a hat trick and one assist.

Luverne didn’t hesitate to begin its scoring. Within only 15 seconds, Carlton Oftedahl found teammate Behrend to light the lamp to make the score 1-0.

Fairmont Area outshot Luverne 14-11 in the first period, forcing Luverne’s goaltender Shaid Shearer to make 13 saves.

Fairmont Area erased the zero on the scoreboard right before the seventh minute of the period. Eli Anderson followed his deflected shot for a rebound and goal to tie the score 1-1.

“Overall the first period was good,” Fairmont Area head coach Dylan Van Brocklin said. “We moved the puck and had chances, but we just couldn’t bury them.”

Fairmont Area goaltender Bryant Armitage received a big test seconds later. Armitage stopped a breakaway chance by Luverne to keep the score at 1-1. Armitage finished with nine saves in the period.

“This is his first year ever playing hockey and not just his first season playing goalie so how good he’s become over the last couple of months is crazy to think,” Van Brocklin said.

“If you’d had asked me where he’d be at the beginning of the year versus where he is now,” Van Brocklin continued in reference to Armitage, “I never would have thought he’d progress this much and you can’t ask for that. He made saves and kept us in it.”

In the second period, Luverne needed only 3:19 to score two goals within 12 seconds of each other.

The first came 3:07 into the period when Behrend shot the puck into the back of the net to extend Luverne’s lead 2-1.

The second goal came 12 seconds later when Behrend found Oftedahl for a goal to make the score 3-1.

Fairmont Area started to ignite a comeback seven minutes later. Brock Lutterman and Anderson found Hudson Artz, who stick-handled the puck and backhanded the goal into the back of the net to narrow the score to 3-2.

During a four-minute power-play, Anderson found himself open on a breakaway that could’ve tied the game with less than five minutes remaining.

Anderson attempted a backhanded shot that was saved by Shearer that ended up stopping Fairmont Area’s momentum.

Roughly two minutes later, Behrend and Cooper Arends found Cade Wenninger, who hit a slapshot into the back of the net for a short-handed goal that made the score 4-2.

In the third period, scoring was scarce as Shearer and Armitage came up with save after save.

Armitage finished with 29 saves and Shearer finished with 27.

With 4:26 left in the third period, Wenninger and Henry Hartquist found Behrend for the hat track that made the score 5-2.

Fairmont Area (0-16) closes out its regular season playing host to Minnesota River at 7 p.m. Thursday night.

Luverne 1-3-1–5

Fairmont 1-1-0–2

Scoring Plays

1st period

LUV–Brock Behrend (Carlton Oftedahl), 16:45.

FA–Eli Anderson (unassisted), 10:13.

2nd period

LUV–Brock Behrend (unassisted), 13:53.

LUV–Carlton Oftedahl (Brock Behrend), 13:41.

FA–Hudson Artz (Eli Anderson and Brock Lutterman), 10:32.

LUV–Cade Wenninger (Brock Behrend and Cooper Arends), 2:03.

3rd period

LUV–Brock Behrend (Cade Wenninger and Henry Hartquist), 4:26.

Shots on goal: Luverne 11-16-6–33; Fairmon Area 11-9-7–27.

Saves: Bryant Armitage (FA) 29; Shaid Shearer (LUV) 27.

Penalties: Luverne 4 for 8 minutes; Fairmont Area none.

Power-play chances: Fairmont Area 0-for-3; Luverne none.

Girls Hockey

Luverne 7, Fairmont Area 0 — Five third-period goals put the game out of reach for Fairmont Area.

Luverne scored twice in the first period during the Big South Conference girls hockey matchup Tuesday at Blue Mound Ice Arena in Luverne.

Reghan Bork got the home Cardinals on the board with a first-period goal off a double-helper from Kamryn Van Batavia and Peyton Behr with 15:49 left.

Van Batavia then scored an unassisted goal with 10:30 left to put the home Cardinals ahead 2-0 in the first segment.

After a scoreless second period, Luverne piled on in the final segment.

Rylee Gee got the third-period started with a goal at the 11:02 juncture off a double-helper from Bork and Van Batavia.

The three then combined again when Bork scored with help from Van Batavia and Gee at the 8:44 mark.

Van Batavia scored her second goal with 6:19 left with help from Bork and Brynn Thier, then Gee scored her second with help from Regan Geit and Van Batavia at the 4:19 mark.

Behr gave the home Cardinals their final goal with 1:26 left off a double assist from Roz Oye and Sophie Holmberg.

Luverne outshot Fairmont Area 49-22 in the matchup.

Hadley Artz made 42 saves between the pipes for Fairmont Area, while Cheyenne Schutz made 22 to net the shutout win for Luverne.

Fairmont Area (4-11) travels to Le Sueur to face Minnesota River at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Luverne (12-4) goes to Marshall for a conference battle at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

Fairmont 0-0-0–0

Luverne 2-0-5–7

Scoring Plays

1st Period

LUV–Reghan Bork (Kamryn Van Batavia, Peyton Behr), 15:49.

LUV–Van Batavia (unassisted), 10:30.

2nd Period

No scoring.

3rd Period

LUV–Rylee Gee (Bork, Van Batavia), 11:02.

LUV–Bork (Van Batavia, Gee), 8:44.

LUV–Van Batavia (Bork, Brynn Thier), 6:19.

LUV–Gee (Regan Feit, Van Batavia), 4:19.

LUV–Behr (Roz Oye, Sophie Holmberg), 1:26.