ACROSS THE LINE — Fairmont Area forward Brooklyn Murphy (21) taps the puck past Waseca goaltender Ilamay Draheim (30) and across the line for a goal during Big South Conference hockey action Tuesday night at Martin County Arena in Fairmont. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — Fairmont Area’s penalty-kill unit defied all of the mathematical probabilities by transforming a one-player deficit on the ice into three goals on Tuesday night.

Mackenzie Householder produced a game-best hat trick, Brooklyn Murphy netted two goals and Hannah Goerndt supplied one goal and two assists to power the hometown Cardinals to a 7-2 Big South Conference hockey triumph over the Waseca Bluejays at Martin County Arena.

“We didn’t work on our penalty kill anymore than usual in practice this week,” said Fairmont Area head coach Ashley Olson. “Tonight, our penalty kill seemed to be what we needed to get us to put the puck in the net.”

Murphy, an eighth-grade forward, produced the Cardinals’ initial 4-on-5 goal to stake the home team to a quick 1-0 lead with 13:47 left in the opening period. Murphy worked the left corner and finally stuffed home a twine-finding shot — the first goal in just her second game at the varsity level.

Hannah Goerndt then doubled Fairmont Area’s margin by maneuvering around the right post and jammed the puck off the pipe, with the ricochet bouncing off the back of the Waseca goalie to find the webbing with 1:39 left before intermission.

Forty seconds later, Madelyn Malecha sliced the Bluejays’ gap in half by altering Madalyn Benson’s shot by the Cardinals’ netminder for a 2-1 score.

“We definitely had a bunch of gritty, in-front-of-the-net goals tonight that the fans really couldn’t cheer about since they weren’t able to tell right away if we had scored,” Olson said with a laugh.

Bella Larson then delivered Fairmont Area’s second shorthanded goal at the 14:47 juncture of the second period. Hannah Goerndt rushed the right wing, threw the puck on the net and watched as Larson tipped it past Waseca goalie Ilamay Draheim for a 3-1 lead.

Householder, who netted both of the Cardinals’ goals in last Thursday’s season-opening tie, slid home a backhanded putback shot off her initial attempt to extend the home team’s lead to 4-1 with 11:29 left in the middle frame.

Emma Keith answered for Waseca by following a second block by Fairmont Area netminder Rachel O’Connor and squeezed her shot inside the right pipe at the 4:35 mark.

Murphy and Householder then put the game away by combining for three goals in the third segment. Murphy jammed home Hannah Goerndt’s cross-shot at the 12:11 juncture before Householder pocketed a steal, faked a shot and flipped the bisquit over Draheim’s left shoulder for a top-shelf shorthanded goal at the 8:15 mark.

Householder added an ice-hugging low liner from the doorstep with only 3:40 remaining in regulation to complete her hat trick.

O’Connor turned away 15 shots to net the win for the Cardinals, while Draheim recorded a game-high 40 stops to receive the loss for the Bluejays.

Fairmont Area (1-0-1) plays host to Rochester Mayo in a 1 p.m. nonconference game Saturday at Martin County Arena in Fairmont.

Waseca (0-2) plays host to Worthington at 1 p.m. Saturday in a conference contest.

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Waseca 1-1-0–2

Fairmont 2-2-3–7

Scoring Plays

1st Period

FA–Brooklyn Murphy (unassisted), SH., 13:47.

FA–Hannah Goerndt (unassisted), 1:39.

WAS–Madelyn Malecha (Madalyn Benson), 0:59.

2nd Period

FA–Bella Larson (Hannah Goerndt), SH., 14:47.

FA–Mackenzie Householder (unassisted), 11:29.

WAS–Emma Keith (unassisted), 4:35.

3rd Period

FA–Brooklyn Murphy (Hannah Goerndt), 12:11.

FA–Mackenzie Householder (unassisted), SH., 8:15.

FA–Mackenzie Householder (unassisted), 3:40.

Shots on goal: Fairmont Area 16-16-15–47; Waseca 5-9-3–17. Saves: Rachel O’Connor (FA) 15; Ilamay Draheim (WAS) 40.

Penalties: Fairmont Area 4-for-8 minutes; Waseca 1-for-2 minutes. Power plays: Waseca 0-for-4; Fairmont Area 0-1.