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Cardinals, Scarlets battle to 3-3 hockey tie

SISTER ACT — Fairmont Area’s Hannah Goerndt (8) and sibling Maia Goerndt (right) combine to knock the puck loose from Mankato West’s Alexis Reddy (15) during nonconference hockey action Tuesday night at Martin County Arena in Fairmont. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — Abi Sundeen and Brooklyn Murphy netted back-to-back goals to erase Fairmont Area’s 2-1 third-period deficit, but the Cardinals’ defense could not stop Mankato West’s Trinity Jackson from forcing an extra 8-minute session Tuesday night.

Jackson generated two unassisted goals and added a helper in regulation before Cardinals’ netminder Rachel O’Connor and the Scarlets’ Alayna Smith pitched overtime shutouts to result in a 3-all non-league hockey tie at Martin County Arena in Fairmont.

“Tonight wasn’t our night,” said Fairmont Area head coach Eric Householder, whose lineup actually outshot Mankato West by a narrow 40-36 margin. “In our post-game lockerroom talk, we all agreed our team just didn’t bring the intensity we needed to win the game tonight.

“O’Connor had a good game in net, and stepped up when she needed, especially during overtime.”

While both the Cardinals and Scarlets uncorked four shots on goal in the extra segment, O’Connor halted a potential game-winning rush by sticking away a Mankato West breakaway with only 9 seconds remaining. Fairmont Area’s senior netminder finished with a game-high 37 saves to help maintain her team-leading 3.25 goals against average.

Ironically, Murphy managed to beat O’Connor twice off a pair of odd initial ricochet shots off of her own stick.

Trailing 3-2, Jackson fired a shot that hit the left pipe before the Mankato West junior defender corraled her own carom and chipped home a putback into the right top shelf with 5:29 remaining in regulation.

Jackson scored a somewhat similar goal to stake the Scarlets to a 2-1 lead by notching the only lamp-lighter of the second segment.

Knotted at 1-all, Jackson flipped a right-wing shot over a scrum in the crease that hit the inside of the left pipe. The twanged puck then spun counter-clockwise and skidded across the line for the go-ahead goal with 5:24 to go in the second.

Sundeen, a freshman, and Murphy, an eighth-grader, however, rallied the Cardinals from the one-goal deficit during the third period.

Mackenzie Householder and Bella Larson jammed up the crease in front of Smith and tried to squeeze home a shot before Sundeen tapped in a rebound to tie the game at 2-all with 13:21 left in the middle segment.

Maia Goerndt, another eighth-grader, later collected the puck behind the cage and spotted Murphy on the right doorstep for the twine-finding shot to put Fairmont Area up 3-2 with 10:12 left in regulation.

Mackenzie Householder engineered the hometown Cardinals’ early edge on the scoreboard by wrapping a pass around the right pipe to an awaiting Alexis Newville on the doorstep. Newville punched home the puck for a 1-0 lead at the 12:07 juncture.

Jackson then almost tied the game by ripping a rising liner from the point that West teammate Caitlin Hvinden tipped around O’Connor and inside the left pipe for the equalizer with 8:08 left in the first frame. Jackson netted an assist on the play.

Smith finished with 33 saves for Mankato West.

“We can’t worry about tonight’s game, and now we need to move forward and focus on our upcoming games,” said Eric Householder.

Fairmont Area (4-6-2) plays host to Luverne in a 7 p.m. Big South game next Tuesday night at Martin County Arena. Mankato West (3-8-1) travels Rochester Mayo next Tuesday night.

Kato West 1-1-1-0–3

Fairmont 1-0-2-0–3

Scoring Plays

1st Period

FA–Alexis Newville (Mackenzie Householder), 12:07.

MW–Caitlin Hvinden (Trinity Jackson), 8:08.

2nd Period

MW–Trinity Jackson (unassisted), 5:24.

3rd Period

FA–Abi Sundeen (Bella Larson, Mackenzie Householder), 13:21.

FA–Brooklyn Murphy (Maia Goerndt), 10:12.

MW–Trinity Jackson (unassisted), 5:29.

Overtime

No scoring.

Shots on goal: Mankato West 40; Fairmont Area 36.

Saves: Rachel O’Connor (FA) 37; Alayna Smith (MW) 33.

Penalties: Fairmont Area 4 for 8 minutes; Mankato West 2 for 4 minutes.

Power plays: Mankato West 0-for-4; Fairmont Area 0-for-2.

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